All the students had already gathered in the hall by the time they reached. The student who was in charge of the play was announcing the final team. The three of them had been selected and assigned specific roles. Apurv had to write the script along with a couple of other students while Sia and Ritvik had to provide voice-overs for the play. Apurv was not at all surprised as he knew they were the best in the batch. But what came as a surprise to him was the name of the female lead—Amyra!
She entered the hall a few seconds after her name was announced and apologized for coming late. She looked around to see if she knew anyone. The moment her eyes fell on Sia, she came towards her. After congratulating and greeting each other, Amyra glanced at Apurv who stood there paralysed.
‘Oh, hi, you seem to follow me everywhere. First Starbucks, then the freshers’ party and now here.’
‘I think destiny is desperately trying to bring us together, but we seem to screw its plan by not talking to each other.’
‘Don’t start again.’ Amyra thought there was something peculiar about him but before they could interact further, she was called away by the student incharge along with the male lead.
Apurv was flattered but Sia was annoyed.
‘Are you following her?’ Sia asked in annoyance.
‘No, I mean yeah . . . I mean I like her . . . love her. You know, this is something more than a mere crush.’
‘And you never bothered to tell me?’
‘I didn’t know she was your friend. I’ve never really seen you two together,’ Apurv defended himself.
‘So you’ll only tell me things about your life if I know the people involved? Don’t I tell you everything, from my dreams to my fears?’
‘Yes, but this was different and we never discussed it before. Why would I hide anything from you? Rather, if I had known you knew her so well, I would have asked you to anchor my love life which is currently floating in a sea of confusion.’
‘Stop giving me your fucking metaphors, Mr Writer. Save them for your lead.’
‘But you are a voice-over artist. You reveal the feelings of the actors. You are their inner voice. Please tell her my feelings. I will do anything for you. Please. You are my best friend, right?’
‘Get lost. I am not doing anything for you.’
‘Please Sia,’ Apurv called after Sia as she walked away. Ritvik, too, followed Sia as she looked a little upset and he didn’t want to leave her alone. Apurv stood there confused about whether he should convince a friend or wait for the person he loved to return. Love won over friendship and he decided to stay back thinking he could convince Sia sooner or later. But he had to make a start with Amyra— it was now or never!
Apurv often stared cluelessly at Amyra, like he did at his homework. And just like his homework, she was a mystery to him. Every now and then he would just find himself staring at her absent-mindedly.
‘Where’s Sia? Has she disappeared again?’ Amyra asked when she returned.
Apurv loved every word she spoke and every movement she made.
It’s so easy to interact with your friends because you don’t have to think twice about expressing your true self. But with love, it’s always the other way.
‘I think she wanted to give us privacy. You know, just you and me.’
All Amyra could do was make a wry face.
‘So, you write?’ Amyra asked as they walked out of the hall.
‘I try to.’
‘And you just broke up?’
‘When did we start dating?’
‘Arggh! I asked because these days broken-hearted people write to deal with their frustration.’
‘It could be the other way around too. Some write to find love. To get the girl they want,’ he said with a wink.
‘Trying too hard?’
‘No, you haven’t really seen me hard. I mean try.’
‘You jerk.’
‘Okay, on a serious note, would you like to read my work?’
‘Sure,’ she said casually.
‘You need to give me your number for that. I’ll WhatsApp it to you.’
‘Wow, is this a new trick to ask a girl for her number?’
‘No, it’s not a trick. I’m trying to be polite. Otherwise I would have taken it from Sia.’
Amyra didn’t know how to reply to that.
‘Ah! There they are! My lovely friends,’ said Apurv as he spotted Ritvik and Sia sitting on a bench.
There was something enigmatic about him that captivated Amyra, a magnetic pull which she couldn’t resist. It was like he was hiding something deep within him. Was he trying to hide his true identity? Who was he behind the flowery words he spoke? The deeper she looked into his eyes, the more she wanted to understand him. His mysterious looks reflected a profound innocence of which even he was unaware.
When Amyra gave him her number, Apurv was transported to another galaxy. He was sure it would be a long time before he got her number. But it all happened in the blink of an eye. Love is a complicated thing, and you’re never quite sure how things will turn out. You just have to wait patiently for someone special to come your way and make you happy.
Don’t Mess with My BFF
‘Were you stalking her?’ Sia asked Apurv once again after Amyra had left.
‘Stalking is such a strong word. I was just conducting intense research on her.’
‘Don’t act smart. You aren’t, for your information.’
‘I thought the same thing, but guess what? She gave me her number. Now I feel otherwise. She looked gorgeous in her Indian attire today.’ Apurv felt like he had won a gold medal in the Olympics.
‘She won’t be able to handle you anyway.’
Ritvik was enjoying the drama from the sidelines. He could see that Sia was a little jealous, not because she had a problem with Apurv having a girlfriend, but because she wanted him to love her more. She didn’t mind him calling someone else beautiful, but she just wanted him to give her more attention. She didn’t mind him talking to someone else for hours, she just wanted him to handle her when she had mood swings. Apurv succeeded in making her feel better with his antics as they headed to the chemistry lab for their next class.
It was Apurv’s first time in that class and the professor stared at him as he entered.
‘Are you a part of this class?’
‘Yes, Sir, but I couldn’t attend the last three times. My nana has chemotherapy sessions on Mondays. Now that my dad is back in town, he’ll be able to look after him.’
‘Stop giving me lame excuses.’ The professor could sense that Apurv was lying. After all, he was a professor: they know everything even though they act like they don’t.
Amyra followed Apurv as it was her first class as well. However, this time the professor didn’t comment on her attire. She was dressed in a salwar kurta, pretending to be someone she was not, just like she did with her relatives. Once the class started, they were instructed to follow the steps in the textbook and show the professor the result of the experiment. Apurv, however, was preparing himself to follow the steps in the textbook of love and get a result out of Amyra. He texted her.
Now I don’t have to check your last seen on WhatsApp. At least for two hours.
When she saw his message, Amyra looked straight at him. She saw that he was staring at her, mesmerized by her beauty.
Why?
Why would I need to? I can see you right here in front of my eyes.
Apurv grinned as Amyra tried to hide behind her hair.
Do you think you’re funny?
I caught you smiling. For guys like me, WhatsApp is the only medium through which we can express our emotions.
What do you mean guys like you?
Guys who cannot go beyond asking directions to Starbucks
He had finally confessed but Amyra wasn’t upset. She replied with a laughing emoji.
What Apurv loved the most about the chemistry lab was that he could spend time with Amyra. Those secret glances made the class mor
e interesting.
Sia saw them stealing glances at each other, witnessing their silent love story. She texted Apurv.
Anyone can see what’s going on between you two. Concentrate on the concentrated acid in the tube, else it will burn your ass.
Still chatting with Amyra, he replied to Sia’s message, not realizing it was her.
Do you think we should ditch maths class and go for a movie?
I wish I had a loaded gun right now.
Sia was burning with anger.
Apurv realized what he had done and burst out laughing. After a few seconds, Sia joined in. Apurv created a WhatsApp group including the four of them and finalized the plan for the movie. Ritvik agreed and Amyra too didn’t have a problem. She was fascinated by him, although she didn’t show it. Apurv, in turn, was confused because of the mixed signals she was sending him. It was getting harder for him to pretend to be just friends because he wanted her every time he looked at her. He kept wondering what was on her mind. Were they just friends? But ‘just friends’ don’t look at each other like they did!
You don’t know how I feel, always longing for your attention. I want to talk to you every day, every minute and every second. You don’t know how just talking to you makes me feel complete. Most of all you don’t know how much you mean to me, he thought as he looked at Amyra from the corner of his eye as they walked towards the campus gate.
They decided to go to the movie theatre in a cab. Apurv would pick up his Vespa later. Amyra was about to book the cab when she got a call and excused herself.
‘Sia, will you sit in the front? I want to sit with Amyra. Please understand,’ Apurv requested, taking advantage of Amyra’s absence.
Although he didn’t mean to, he was hurting Sia and she felt unwanted once again. Ritvik could sense this in the way she chose to remain silent, not knowing how to respond.
‘Don’t worry, you enjoy sitting with both the girls, I will sit in the front.’
‘Ah! A threesome. I don’t mind,’ Apurv joked.
‘Your jokes are getting repetitive day by day. Stop trying so hard.’
Sia wanted to warn him about how Amyra had abandoned her friends in school. But she didn’t know if she was genuinely concerned for him or if she was jealous. Before she could get her thoughts in order, Amyra returned.
‘I am so sorry, guys, I have to leave.’ She looked upset.
‘What happened?’ Apurv looked even more upset.
‘I forgot it’s my sister’s birthday today. She had asked me to bring snacks in the morning for the party. If I go for the movie now, I’ll be late and her party will be ruined.’
‘You are lying. How could you forget your sister’s birthday when you wished her in the morning and promised to bring the snacks?’ Sia blurted out.
‘No, trust me,’ Amyra said looking at Apurv.
‘I don’t know how I forgot but this happens to me often. It’s not the first time. Don’t you remember I forgot about the chemistry practical even after you had reminded me?’
‘This is strange. Only kids are this careless. The tickets have already been booked.’ Sia was extremely frustrated. But somewhere inside, she felt a sense of relief because she wasn’t wrong about Amyra. Also, now she could spend some time with Apurv without worrying about how Amyra felt. But her happiness didn’t last long because Apurv broke the awkward silence.
‘It’s okay. We will go some other time. I’ll drop you. At least then you will get there early.’
Sia didn’t feel bad because Apurv decided to drop Amyra, but because he didn’t even say a word to her for dropping out at the last moment. Amyra apologized again before going with Apurv. In the middle of all this mess the only person who was genuinely happy was Ritvik. He finally had some time alone with Sia. He wanted to be with her and understand whether he liked her as a friend or if there was something more to their relationship. However, he also realized that he had to cage his feelings because he sensed that Sia loved Apurv. The way she reacted over the entire Amyra episode made his belief firmer. But rather than stressing over things, he preferred to live for the moment. He decided to enjoy the time he had with her.
Even after they had left, Sia continued to bitch about Amyra. ‘I am sure she is lying. She must have got a call from some boyfriend. You know she had a boyfriend in school. She was always fast for her age, you see.’
Ritvik thought it prudent not to say anything.
For a moment, Sia even thought that Apurv and Amyra had purposely planned this so they could go on a date together. But she felt ashamed for thinking this way because she knew Apurv would never stoop to this level.
‘I feel we should carry on. Why should we miss the movie because of them?’ Ritvik looked at Sia, wondering if she was comfortable being alone with him.
‘I think you are right. Why should we screw up our day because of them? Let’s book a cab.’
Ritvik was on a high because it was not often that he went to watch a movie alone with a girl. Although it was not an official date, he decided to have the popcorn that he loved and buy her the samosa that he knew she was crazy about.
‘Have you ever had a girlfriend?’ Sia asked as she sat next to him in the back of the cab.
‘No, but there was a girl I liked a lot in ninth grade.’
‘What happened?’
‘Nothing. She hooked up with someone else. My grades were affected because I thought my life was over without her. It felt like no one would come into my life ever again. It was as if the world stopped spinning and I locked myself in a shell. But time heals everything. Days turned into months and I found that the world never stopped. Rather, it was I who stopped. I was the one who stopped trying to live. After my board exams, I stood up again. And here I am now, happy and complete,’ Ritvik smiled.
‘Wow! How easily you’ve defined life.’ Sia held his hand casually.
‘I wish it were as easy as I make it seem,’ Ritvik muttered looking at their hands locked together. He got an adrenaline rush the moment she held his hand. ‘You know what? You are one of a kind, so different from everyone else. You’ve become an important part of my life. No other friendship has made me feel this way.’
‘Aww, that’s so sweet of you. But trust me, I never thought we would sit together in the back of a cab and go for a movie when I met you for the first time. Thanks for all that you have done for me. My life revolves around you and Apurv. I would feel like the Thakur in Sholay without you guys. Both my hands chopped off. My Jai and Veeru.’
‘Let him be Jai. I don’t want to die at the end of our story,’ Ritvik winked.
‘Asshole.’ She tightened her grip on his hand, unknowingly making his heart skip a beat.
‘I am sorry for backing out at the last moment. Don’t misunderstand me,’ Amyra apologized as they drove towards her house.
‘For me, this is no less than a movie. You are the first girl to sit on my Vespa.’ Apurv looked at her in the rear-view mirror. He blushed when he realized that she was looking at him too.
‘Liar.’ She pinched his arm and he somehow managed to control his Vespa.
‘What? It’s the truth! I mean, Sia has, but with you it’s different.’
‘Different in what sense?’ The gentle breeze made her look irresistible.
‘You don’t know?’
‘No, I don’t.’
‘Okay, then let it be a secret.’
They looked at each other shyly in the silence that followed.
‘I remember you telling me some time back that you stay in Versova. So why are we going to Andheri?’
‘No, I stay in Andheri.’
‘Oh! Maybe I misunderstood.’
Seconds later, she took him by surprise and wrapped her arms around him. She rested her chin on his shoulder, driving him crazy. But, at the same time, everything felt just right. Her tickling breath on his ears made him freeze. Somehow, he managed to drop her off and drive back home. He wanted to park in a corner and kiss her. This, however, re
mained a distant fantasy, one he never thought would come true. But her first touch spoke volumes.
I just reached home.
Apurv received a message from Amyra as he entered his house.
Now? I dropped you off a while back.
Oops. The message got delivered late. Network issues. Anyway, I am waiting to read what you’ve written.
It seemed like her touch was fire because it melted him completely. He was still blushing, thinking about those moments with her. Your first love stays with you forever. Apurv compiled all his writing and thought of sending it to her. He indirectly wanted to convey his feelings through it. If anything went wrong, he could hide behind the claim that it was fiction.
He finally got the courage to send her his work.
Sometimes you open yourself up to a person because you feel and believe that they are different, and maybe this time they won’t break your heart and that your love will be requited. You just lose yourself in love and in the thought of being loved.
But the worst part is that nothing is guaranteed. There’s no guarantee on how long you’ll be with them. You’re not guaranteed complete happiness and you’re not guaranteed that things will be perfect. You just have to have faith. You’ll never know how to love someone wholeheartedly if you haven’t been hurt before. You have to turn your heartbreak into something positive and make the most of your situation. That’s how you have to be your own inspiration. To live with the person who puts you before them and to be loved by the person who treats you like no one else!
Amyra soon replied to the write-up that Apurv had sent.
Wow, I was actually lost in it as if I wanted more.
He was disappointed because he had expected something more than a one-line response. But she had other plans. Apurv wrote:
I keep thinking of how much I love talking to you, how good you look when you smile, how much I love your silly jokes. I catch myself smiling every time you give me that look. I wonder what will happen the next time we’re together. You’re special.
She Friend-Zoned My Love Page 6
