Wake up, girl!

by Niharika Jindal

  I settled myself on his living-room couch.

  ‘Yes, Mom, I am studying well. Yes, I’m applying for an internship this summer which I’m hoping will result in a full-time job after college. Yes, I’m fine, how are things at home? Okay, good, all right, will talk to you later. Love you,’ Ayaan said as he hung up the phone.

  ‘Sorry about that. My parents get stressed about my grades since I’m on a scholarship, so they like to check on them once in a while. I have to maintain my grade-point average so that the scholarship holds.’

  Wow, his situation was so different from mine. The fact that he was so hardworking made him all the more attractive. Plus, the fact that his parents cared so much about his education was extremely endearing.

  ‘This may seem a bit weird to you, but it’s really nice that your parents care so much about your education and your future. My parents don’t even know what classes I’m taking in a semester,’ I said.

  He stopped in his tracks and said, ‘That makes it all the more important that you take responsibility for your education. I have parents pushing me all the time and, trust me, it gets really annoying at times. You, on the other hand, are selfmotivated and keep pushing through these tough classes all on your own,’ Ayaan said, giving me way more credit than I deserved. His gaze was so piercing that I was sure he could read my thoughts.

  Please don’t, otherwise you’ll know that I am yearning for you to kiss me!

  Naina, control your thoughts. Right now.

  He sat down next to me and began going through our textbook. ‘So, Madam Economist/Advertiser, are you ready to begin?’

  I wasn’t ready to begin studying just yet. I asked, ‘Does the pressure of doing well get to you?’

  Ayaan thought about it for a second and replied, ‘Yes, it does. But I have no choice. You see, my father works for the government, and my mother has a part-time job. I want to succeed so that I can take the burden off their shoulders. They have done so much for me ever since I was born. Now it’s my turn to give.’

  I was awestruck by his maturity.

  I sighed, ‘Okay, let’s begin.’

  These conversations were dangerous. They made me fall for Ayaan even more.

  ‘Oh, wait. Give me a minute,’ he said.

  Ayaan went to the kitchen and I heard the blender going on. Was he making an alcoholic beverage to ease the stress of studying Advertising?

  I wouldn’t mind.

  What he came back with left me speechless. He had brought back an Indian version of cold coffee.

  ‘Here. I know you’re a fan. I heard you talk about cold coffee at the airport. So, I carried a bottle of Nescafe from India with me.’

  I had never had better cold coffee in my entire life.

  …

  It was the day of our final exam and I was nervous as hell. The end of the semester had already arrived.

  Summer break was starting from tomorrow and I was heading back to India.

  Professor Smith handed us our question papers and announced, ‘You have a total of three hours to complete the exam. Your time starts now.’

  I looked around to see where Ayaan was and saw that his eyes were on me. He smiled.

  I took a huge breath and looked back down at my question paper.

  Naina. Do not get distracted by his smile right now. You have to pass this course.

  I agree, inner voice!

  I began writing and the next three hours went by extremely slowly. The paper was tough and I really hoped I’d do well.

  Professor Smith collected all our papers and counted them once again to make sure they were all in. Once he was satisfied, he looked up. ‘Are there any further questions before we disperse for summer break? I know you’re all dying to get out of here.’

  There were a few moments of silence. Finally someone raised a hand and I could see it was Ayaan. I wondered what he wanted to ask.

  ‘Yes, Mr Arora?’

  ‘I just want to know,’ Ayaan began, ‘if Naina Bansal would like to go out on a date with me?’

  Um… Excuse me?

  I think I stopped breathing.

  ‘Ms Bansal? Where’s Ms Bansal?’ Professor Smith asked.

  There was a flurry in the entire room as everyone tried to figure who and where I was.

  ‘She’s right there in the second last row!’ A girl I knew from another class pointed in my direction.

  Everyone, including Professor Smith, turned their faces to where I was seated. Ayaan was obviously looking at me the entire time.

  My heart was thumping so loudly I thought it would fall out of my chest.

  ‘Ms Bansal? We’re all waiting for your answer,’ Professor Smith said in an amused voice.

  In that microsecond, I thought about a million things.

  How Ayaan was Punjabi and not Marwadi. How he wasn’t well off. How my parents would not approve of him.

  Fuck that, Naina, say something!

  Inner voice had found words and was on my side!

  ‘Yes!’ I said.

  ‘Well, that’s great for the both of you. Have a good time tonight. And the rest of you, have a good summer. Off you go, now.’ Professor Smith dismissed the class.

  Ayaan and I stood outside the classroom and waited for the crowd to disperse. Every girl passing by looked at him dreamily. I’m sure all the guys would be thinking that their respective girlfriends would want a similar romantic gesture now.

  As the classroom emptied, Ayaan turned towards me. He held my hand and said, ‘I know how hesitant you are about all this, Naina. Sunaina’s told me all about your concerns. I’m not saying I’m “the one” for you. I might not be. But I really like you, and would want us to give it a try.’

  He was standing very close to me.

  I couldn’t believe he was saying all these things to me!

  ‘I really like you, too,’ I said, a bit shakily.

  I could see that his eyes were on my lips and just as he was about to lean in, I whispered, ‘I just want to know one thing.’

  ‘Anything,’ Ayaan said.

  I could see he didn’t really care about anything other than my lips at this point.

  ‘Why do you look at me strangely sometimes?’

  He looked surprised. ‘Oh. At those moments I find you looking so lovely that I’m just taken aback, honestly.’

  ‘Oh. Okay.’

  Ayaan smiled and slowly bent his head towards mine. His lips touched mine lightly. He opened his eyes and looked into my eyes before touching his lips to mine again. He kissed my lips lightly again and again, but it didn’t feel enough.

  After what felt like ages, he finally slid his tongue inside my mouth, and the kiss deepened.

  I, Naina Bansal, finally, had my first kiss.

  Chapter 8

  Three months later

  I had just landed in Boston and could barely control my excitement. And nervousness.

  The three-month-long summer break had dragged. Normally, I would have savoured it, doing absolutely nothing, just hanging out with family and friends, eating or sleeping.

  But this time was different.

  I could hardly wait to see Ayaan.

  He had spent his summer in Boston, interning for the Boston Consulting Group. He was hoping that BCG would offer him a full-time job after graduation next year.

  Ayaan and I had spoken every single day when I was in India. Our daily chats had helped us get to know each other better. We hadn’t had an argument yet, though. I couldn’t wait to experience all these mundane things with him. My boyfriend.

  Ha! That’s right!

  I had a boyfriend.

  Finally, at age nineteen.

  I could hardly believe it.

  And to top it off – my boyfriend was hot! Socially retarded Naina had a hot boyfriend!

  I had to be highly secretive about my phone calls with him though, as I didn’t want my parents to find out about him.

  My love life would be an effrontery to them.

 
I was supposed to meet Ayaan at his apartment that evening. It was his last day of interning at BCG. We were going to go watch Zindagi Na Milegi Dobaara.

  The film had received amazing reviews, and though I was keen to see it, I hadn’t. I wanted to watch it with Ayaan.

  Collecting my luggage, I exited the airport and looked around for a taxi to take me to campus. Suddenly someone hugged me from behind and whispered, ‘Welcome back.’

  I whirled around and saw it was Ayaan. He had decided to surprise me!

  He gave me a long hug and said in my ear, ‘I couldn’t wait till tonight to see you.’

  I hugged him back. ‘You shouldn’t have come! What about work?’

  ‘It’s my last day, anyway. They didn’t mind me stepping out for a bit. Besides, seeing you right now will make my day go better. I missed you,’ Ayaan said and kissed me hard.

  This guy was really fulfilling all my chick-flick fantasies.

  I spent the day catching up with Sunaina, Sarah and Marina after Ayaan dropped me on campus. All three wanted the details of my status with Ayaan. I updated them and it was a chorus of ‘awwws’ all around. Sunaina was extra happy because now she and Sam, and Ayaan and I could go on double dates together.

  The travelling had exhausted me, so I knocked out for a bit before the movie.

  Half an hour before Ayaan was to come pick me up, I woke up and dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a black top.

  The movie was truly amazing, even more so because Ayaan held my hand the whole time. I was nervous that meeting him after a gap might be a bit awkward, but it wasn’t. I felt really easy with him.

  Besides, he definitely knew his moves. He would kiss me lightly on the lips when I least expected it.

  I had a lot to learn.

  As we exited the theatre, I yawned. I was still very jet-lagged.

  ‘Are you tired, baby?’ Ayaan asked. ‘I’m so dumb, making you watch a movie on the day you’ve returned.’

  Baby? Was he referring to me? Hearing Ayaan call me ‘baby’ turned my insides to mush. I had never been someone’s ‘baby’. A part of me wanted to look around to check whether he was asking someone else.

  ‘It’s cool,’ I replied. ‘I loved watching the movie with you. Jet-lag notwithstanding.’

  Ayaan leaned in close and gave me a long kiss. ‘I’ll drop you back to the dorm…You need to sleep.’

  …

  The week went by incredibly slowly. I was dying to go on my second date with Ayaan over the weekend. The last one had ended too early.

  Screw you, jet-lag!

  I was on my way to the ‘Introduction to Government’ class when my phone rang. It was Ayaan.

  I answered quickly, ‘Hi!’

  ‘Hi, Beautiful. What are you doing?’

  ‘I was just on my way to class. Very reluctantly. I think I need another vacation already.’

  Ayaan laughed, ‘I have the perfect solution for you. I have to go to New York tomorrow to meet my BCG supervisor – under whom I interned over the summer – to discuss my full-time offer. Would you like to come with? We’ll be back by night.’

  I thought about it for a minute. Going to New York with Ayaan sounded amazing. Besides, I could go shopping to pass the time while he had his meeting!

  ‘Sounds perfect. See you tomorrow.’

  Since it was Saturday, I didn’t have to worry about missing classes. Our train to New York was at 8.30 am, and I was up early. I could hardly sleep because of the excitement.

  There was a text message from Ayaan asking me to meet him directly at the train station as he was running late.

  I hadn’t told anyone that I was going to New York for the day. Sunaina and the girls would make a big deal out of it, so I didn’t mention it to them either.

  The weather forecast indicated a possibility of rain showers, so I dressed warmly.

  Naina, relax. Don’t show him how crazily excited you are. He’ll get scared!

  Duly noted, inner voice.

  I had calmed myself by the time I reached the train station.

  Where was he? It was almost time for the train to leave.

  What if he didn’t show up? Was I crazy for being so excited about this entire thing? What if he decided I’m too weird?

  My mind had gone into overdrive. I tried to relax. He’s coming. Stop being crazy.

  Just then, I saw Ayaan running towards me, a paper bag in his hand.

  ‘So sorry I’m late, baby. I stopped to get us some breakfast on the way.’

  Feel stupid now, Naina?

  ‘You didn’t think I was going to let you go to New York without me, did you?’ Ayaan kissed me on the cheek.

  I felt my cheeks go pink. ‘Of course not! I just didn’t want to miss the train.’

  ‘I wouldn’t let us miss it for the world,’ Ayaan said, kissing me on the lips. ‘Should we go in? If we keep on chit-chatting out here, there is a high possibility we might actually miss the train.’

  True that.

  Ayaan and I settled into our seats. I saw that, apart from us, there were only two other passengers in our cabin. I couldn’t believe I was going to New York with Ayaan.

  The train announcer’s voice came over the radio, ‘The time duration of this Amtrak train to New York is four hours…’

  Wow. Four hours was a long time for me to mess up somehow.

  My face must have showed some of my insecurities because Ayaan took my hand in his. ‘I know this is moving too fast for you, Naina. If you’re having even the slightest doubt about any of this, just say the word and I’ll back off.’

  My heart took a back flip. He was so sweet.

  I squeezed his hand and said smilingly, ‘I’m not having any doubts about us. I just haven’t spent a lot of time with any guy. That’s about it.’

  The train started moving, and we were off to New York.

  ‘Well, thank you for giving me the honour and privilege. I’m a lucky guy. What I don’t get is that you’ve never had a boyfriend. You’re so amazing and sweet and innocent and pretty. See that smile right there? Gets me every single time.’

  I blushed, ‘I don’t know. I’ve never opened up to any guy before. And, perhaps, I give out a vibe that scares boys off.’

  ‘Naina, trust me. You give out no such vibe. On the contrary, I’ve been attracted to you ever since we met at the airport. If I had known you earlier, I would have hit on you a long time ago,’ Ayaan said cheekily.

  I smiled shyly and said, ‘I wish I’d met you earlier, too.’

  Ayaan tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. ‘Naina, I want you to know that you can trust me. If, at any point, you think things are going too fast or, you’re not okay with something, please communicate with me. Tell me what you’re feeling. Don’t ever hold back, please.’

  At that moment, I realized that I did trust Ayaan. My earlier worries seemed silly now.

  ‘Okay,’ I said and Ayaan’s lips met mine.

  I loved kissing him. He tasted of vanilla.

  Ayaan’s tongue slipped between my lips and I forgot to breathe for the next several minutes till we came up for air.

  ‘Now, how about those cream-cheese bagels? I know you’ve been eyeing that bag ever since you saw me,’ Ayaan teased.

  The guy was really observant.

  Chapter 9

  Three weeks had passed since Ayaan and I had gone on our day-trip to New York. That day had just flown by. Once Ayaan had made me feel comfortable, we’d spent the entire train ride talking non-stop. What we spoke about, I don’t remember.

  What I do know is that, since that day, Ayaan and I had become inseparable.

  Lunches, movies, dinners, study sessions at the library… we had done it all.

  What we hadn’t done as yet was sex.

  Sure, we had gone past the kissing stage. But, we hadn’t gone all the way. Maybe, Ayaan thought I’m not ready and didn’t want to rush me, was my view.

  Such a good and respectful boy.

  But, I didn’t
want him to be good and respectful any more.

  I think, I’d been ready ever since our trip to New York. I trusted Ayaan.

  It was Friday morning, and we had dinner reservations for two at Mistral, an Italian restaurant in downtown Boston.

  I woke up to see a text message from him:

  Ayaan: Good morning, gorgeous.

  Me: Good morning, yourself.

  Ayaan: Wine at my apartment before heading to dinner?

  Me: Sounds good!

  Ayaan: Can’t wait to see u.

  That evening, I needed help getting dressed. For the first time ever, I wanted to look good and pull out all the stops. I wanted him to look at me and go wow. I decided to consult my suitemates.

  ‘Oh my God! I have waited so long for this moment!’ Sunaina exclaimed excitedly.

  ‘Wait, what number date is this?’ Marina asked.

  ‘It’s probably their hundredth date. But, this is the first time she’s come to us for help, so tonight must be special,’ Sunaina declared.

  ‘Okay, so tonight’s officially the first date,’ Sarah decided.

  ‘Fancy or semi-fancy?’ Marina asked the other two.

  ‘Definitely fancy,’ Sunaina and Sarah said in unison.

  I decided that since they weren’t even asking for my opinion, I would just let them go ahead with whatever they had in mind.

  The end result was pretty spectacular, if I say so myself. The girls had outdone themselves. My hair was blow-dried straight with soft curls at the end and looked very glamourous. My makeup was subtle, and my short red lace dress accentuated my curves in all the right places. I felt pretty.

  Not bad, Naina.

  Thank you, inner voice! I hope we both have a good time tonight.

  I reached his apartment at 8 pm and rang the doorbell.

  Ayaan opened the door immediately. ‘Wow. You look amazing.’

  He seemed at a loss for words.

  Don’t worry, Ayaan. I too had the same reaction when I saw myself in the mirror.

  ‘Thank you,’ I smiled shyly. ‘You look really good as well.’

  He leaned in and kissed me on the lips.

  I was still getting used to these kisses that came out of the blue.

  I entered his apartment and the cosy atmosphere felt as amazing as a warm blanket in winter.