Chapter 5: A Movie During Interval - It Started With a Friend Request

Iwas contemplating while drinking a glass of juice in the morning, when I received a message from Akash.

Aadi, tell me where can you meet me? We have to go to Aleesha’s college today at 4 pm for her function. I have planned something really special for today. I thought on all the points you had said. You were right. Meet me and I’ll tell you what I’ve planned.

I told him meet me at the Garden View Bar & Restaurant. I took the car keys and left for the venue. Akash had reached before me and was curious to reveal his plans.

‘Aadi, why did you call me here?’ Akash seemed confused.

I gave him a pat on the back and took him inside the bar section. I ordered one bottle of Kingfisher and a packet of peanuts to munch on.

‘Akash, the problem with some people when they aren’t drunk is that they are too sober. You fall in that category. So drink this up before you reach the college and hit the homerun today,’ I said laughing.

‘Are you nuts? I have already planned something very special for today. Trust me,’ replied Akash hesitatingly.

‘Go ahead with your plans. But have a drink or two. And even Aleesha is okay with you drinking. So what’s the big deal? You are one lucky chap. When I was with Riya, she didn’t allow me to drink at all,’ I smiled remembering those memorable days.

I asked him to have a drink. Just one beer and no more since I knew that he would lose self-control if he had more. He drank an entire glass of beer in a minute’s time and then sat quietly without uttering a single word. After some time, he looked at me and revealed his entire plan for the evening. It left me speechless. It really proved that he was deeply in love with Aleesha. I wished I had done something similar when I was with Riya. I agreed that his plans were indeed out of the world. Aleesha or any girl in her place would have loved it.

The waiter served him another glass of beer and he finished that in one go too. He closed his eyes and asked, ‘Aadi, tell me frankly—did you see me try my luck with any other girl in the last few years? There were so many skimpily-clad girls around us. But Aleesha is different—a beauty with brains. So who wins out of the two—miniskirts or brains? Obviously, a girl with brains wins hands down. Though miniskirts give a damn good fight. I mean Aleesha too wears them, but her brains outshine everything else and I seriously love her for it,’ Akash kept bugging me.

‘Are you sane?’ I enquired.

‘Of course I’m sane. I am not as think as you drunk I am,’ he added.

I am not as think as you drunk I am! Alcohol was getting the better of him. Though he was a guy who hardly took an hour or two to regain normalcy, I still told him to stop drinking. He agreed and we moved out after paying the bill. I motivated him so that he could execute his plan and enquired if everything was set.

‘Yes, everything is ready and I am just waiting for the right moment now. This time I am confident I can do it. Thanks for being with me. I have messaged Aleesha that we will reach in some time. She will come at the main gate to allow us entry,’ Akash replied dabbing the perfume kept on my dashboard on his clothes.

He had waited for this day and if he failed to express his feelings today, he would perhaps miss saying it forever. One should not wait for Valentine’s Day to express one’s love.

‘Akash, this is your day. You don’t need roses, expensive gifts, or special dialogues lifted straight from a Bollywood movie. All you need is love and passion. You just need to be truly and madly in love. Don’t script your memorable moment. Make it real. Speak what your heart says. Go ahead and propose to your sweetheart Aleesha today so that you can celebrate July 7, 2011, as Propose Day every year,’ I suggested on the way to the main gate of the college.

As we entered the college, Akash called Aleesha to inform her that we were waiting at at main gate. A few minutes later, she arrived showing her pass to the girl at the gate who seemed like a friend of hers. While walking towards the stage where the function was to be held, Aleesha immediately sensed that we were drunk.

‘Drinking during daytime?’ she said giving Akash a naughty smile.

‘I thought that will help me move my feet better when I dance with you at the fresher’s party,’ Akash replied looking straight into her eyes.

We went backstage where Aleesha was getting ready for her dance performance before the party. She went inside the changing room while Akash waited for her outside. I went to the nearby cooler to drink water. When she finally came out, Akash’s jaw dropped instantly. His heart almost stopped beating and everything stood still for a moment when he saw Aleesha dressed for the performance. She had worn a white top with blue leggings which gave perfect shape to her curves. Her beauty astounded him. She had the style and class which made her a strong contender for Ms Fresher that day. As she came close to him, his breathing got heavier. He wanted to hold her tightly in his arms and take her away from the real world. He was dumbstruck gaping at her beauty. She was standing merely inches away from him.

‘How am I looking?’ she asked Akash casually. He was still lost in her beauty.

‘Sexy,’ he said to which she smiled shyly. She handed him a camera and told him to click her pictures during the performance.

When I returned to the spot after drinking water, I saw the intense looks on their faces and the smiles that they exchanged. I instantly knew something was up between them. After exchanging a few words, Akash walked towards me. He seemed super confident and took me along with him to the front row where we looked for a place from where we could see Aleesha perform more clearly.

As the spotlights fell on Aleesha, everyone started screaming loudly and clapping in unison. The guy standing next to us was fantasizing all sorts of things about Aleesha and discussing her with his friends. Akash looked at me and I could see how livid he was. I told him to calm down, telling him it was normal because Aleesha was the centre of attraction at that moment. She danced like she was floating in air. Akash clicked some pictures from his mobile phone so that he could keep her with himself in the photographs at least.

‘Aadi, I know there might be many guys here thinking about trying their luck with her. People just see her on the outside and don’t know the real her. Not everyone can see what I can see in her. All I know is when I look at her face, I forget my own name too. I find it hard not to stare at her. I can look at her sweet smile the entire day. It’s the beauty within her that I see, while others are merely focussed on her physical beauty. I have madly fallen in love with her. I hope she accepts my proposal,’ Akash said staring at her continuously while she danced on stage. I just smiled at him as I had no words to say.

The curtains came down after her performance and it was time for the fresher’s party celebrations. The anchor came on stage and gave a speech.

‘Well, I speak on behalf of all the second-year students here. Just a few lines of how we all feel about this function. I wish to express our happiness towards our juniors today. They represent to us the same hope and challenge as new players in a cricket team or new twists in a good story. Together we can make a terrific team. You, a brand new Ferrari and we, the sparkling black, Ford Model T. So I, on behalf of all the old faces here, welcome the new faces with open hands, open minds, and above all, open hearts. I now sign off for the evening and will let the DJ take over. Have a blast guys!’

Aleesha came towards us and asked Akash about her performance.

‘You left me speechless. You really dance well. I think after Punjabis, Bengalis have mastered this art without training. I did feel jealous when the guys around us started staring at you and gossiping about you,’ Akash said.

‘Thanks. I love your dimples when you smile. You look so cute,’ Aleesha replied. It was a clear-cut indication that she liked him too.

‘Let’s dance,’ Akash said taking her hand in his and moving his legs to the tune of the music.

As they both started dancing, they forgot the world around them. They even forgot that they were in a college campus and were dancing passionately and looking continuously into each other’s eyes. In between, they exchanged cute smiles, which echoed the lyrics of their love. This continued for some time until the anchor stopped the DJ. He was about to announce the winner of the Ms Fresher competition chosen by the jury members. Aleesha went backstage to collect her bag from the vanity room.

‘It’s my pleasure to announce our Ms Fresher for this year. This year the crown goes to Ms Priyanka Arya.’

I was disappointed that Aleesha had missed the crown. Akash and I had observed all the other girls present in the party and no one could match Aleesha. She undoubtedly topped the list. The group of guys who were earlier passing comments when Aleesha was on stage screamed Aleesha’s name loudly as the winner.

I could hear one of them say, ‘This girl is not as hot as the one who danced. I remember the anchor announcing her name as Aleesha. She was fucking hot. If I get a chance to be with her for even a few hours, I would bang her real hard. She is irresistible. Oh man, what a figure she had. She is perfect.’

I looked around to see Akash staring at them in anger. Akash was already drunk and these comments made him lose control. He had controlled himself when Aleesha was on stage, but this time he couldn’t. Even I couldn’t stop him. Rather, I didn’t want to stop him. There are few groups of sick guys in every college who have no respect for girls. Moreover, when they are commenting on your ‘would be’ girlfriend, you can’t ignore it. Akash too couldn’t tolerate it and pounced on them like a wild dog. Suddenly the music came to a halt and everyone stood still looking at Akash beating these guys like an action hero. I joined in when I saw a couple of guys holding Akash and trying to hit him. I knew that within a few minutes the organizers would arrive and get hold of us, either throwing us out or pulling Aleesha up for having allowed us wrongful entry. While Akash was still punching the guys left, right, and centre, I called Aleesha, informing her about the incident, and told her to wait outside the college where we had parked our car. My phone thankfully had her number. A while ago, when Akash was facing network connection issues on his phone, he had called Aleesha up from my number. After informing Aleesha I immediately went to Akash to rescue him from the guys. We ran towards the main gate and within minutes, we were outside the college where Aleesha was waiting for us. I lay flat on the bonnet and heaved a sigh of relief. Akash too was breathing heavily due to the chaos that had occurred in the last few minutes.

‘What happened? Will you guys tell me something? What made you two fight? Akash look at yourself, you are all messed up,’ Aleesha said in a caring tone touching his cheeks with her fingers.

Akash smiled looking at her. Before he could say anything, I interrupted their live romance session.

‘Guys, get inside the car. Let’s move from here first,’ I panicked.

Aleesha opened the back door and got in quickly. Akash did the same. I accelerated the car towards Churchgate station. I looked at both of them from the rear view mirror. We all had panicked and stared at each other through the front mirror. Akash started laughing and we both joined him. It was a hell of the evening and had sent a chill down our spine. I parked the car at the side of the road and looked back.

‘I didn’t realize that in the chaos you both conveniently sat behind. I don’t wanna look like a driver, guys. How mean,’ I said jokingly.

‘Oops,’ Aleesha exclaimed. The next moment Akash got down from the car and came and sat on the front seat. He looked back and winked at Aleesha.

‘Where are we going?’ Aleesha asked.

‘Aditya is going home but we both can stay back. I hope you don’t mind. I’ll drop you to your home. So don’t worry.’ Akash said looking back at her.

‘Yes sure. But Aditya, why are you leaving?’ Aleesha asked me.

‘To give you privacy so that Akash won’t hesitate getting close to you,’ I laughed looking into the mirror. Akash immediately hit me hard.

‘Stop it Aditya. You don’t have to be humorous all the time. Actually, he has some official work which he can’t delay,’ Akash said shifting his eyes from Aleesha to me.

Though we didn’t speak anything, I knew he wanted to take her out alone so that he could execute his plan. He was still firm about proposing to her. Once we reached my apartment, I gave the car keys to Akash so that if they decided to stay together till late at night, he could drop her safely. Aleesha insisted I join them, but I made up an excuse and got down from the car. Akash had planned to take her to Raghuleela Mall, Vashi, so that he could spend more time with her.

Aleesha came and sat on the front seat and Akash took to the wheel. I bid them goodbye and Akash started driving towards Vashi.

* * *

‘Sir, have you made all the arrangements?’ Akash asked on the phone when he called the manager of Fame Cinemas at Raghuleela Mall. He was in the car with Aleesha and they were on their way to the mall. The manager assured that everything was ready.

‘Which arrangements?’ Aleesha asked curiously.

‘Nothing. Some work related to office. We have an important meeting tomorrow,’ he lied. He wanted to surprise Aleesha with his plans.

Akash glanced at Aleesha carefully. Every time he looked at her, he felt like he was falling in love all over again. This was the best phase of his life and if he had not won the passes to the club, he would have never met her. It was on that very day that he fell in love with her. From that day onwards, Akash was a changed man. He never knew he would live to see a better tomorrow. But the day Aleesha came into his life, all his sorrows disappeared. It made him feel like his days of emptiness were over, like she had filled a void in his heart. His days of sadness were a thing of the past now, as he had found his true love at last. She had opened a new window and showed him love like he never knew existed. Akash believed that their love would continue to burn bright.

He thought of holding her hands while driving but dropped the plan and decided to wait for the right moment. They reached Raghuleela Mall. Aleesha still didn’t know what Akash had planned for her. She knew that Akash had decided to take her for a movie but she still couldn’t understand why he had planned to take her to a venue so far when there were better options in South Mumbai. She asked him again.

‘Have patience, dear. I want to make this the best day of your life. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Hope you like the surprise,’ Akash replied while taking on the escalator.

‘Surprise? What kind of surprise? You said we were going for a movie. What can be surprising in a movie?’ she asked. Her questions were never-ending.

‘Ssssshhh,’ Akash said and kept his finger on her lips to put a full stop to her questions. Her lips were soft, like honey dew. He was so lost in her eyes that he kept staring at her with love without removing his finger from her lips. Finally realizing he had been staring at her for way too long, he quickly looked away. When he saw Aleesha taking her eyes away from him, he kissed the same finger with which he had touched her lips. He felt like he was kissing her for the first time and the divine feeling of their ‘first kiss’ made him go crazy. He wanted to hold her by her waist and dance. He wanted to keep his hand on her lap in the darkness of the cinema hall. But he knew he had to wait a little more.

‘Akash now can you tell me? The movie is about to begin. Don’t test my patience, please,’ Aleesha said trying to convince Akash to reveal the surprise he had planned.

‘Just enjoy the movie, Aleesha. Don’t think about it so much,’ Akash replied.

After an hour into the movie, Akash excused himself and went out of the hall to give a final touch to his plan.

‘I will be back. I need to use the washroom,’ he said to Aleesha and slyly moved out.

Akash went outside, had a talk with the manager for the final time, and confirmed whether he had received the payment. The manager nodded and said everything was ready and that he needn’t worry about anything. Akash watched the clock and asked him the time left before the interval.

‘Fifteen minutes more, sir,’ the manager answered.

He went inside and sat quietly on his seat. He glanced at Aleesha who looked back at him and gave a smile. She seemed curious to know the surprise. She had somehow realized what was coming ahead, but wanted the event to unfold on its own. She was equally nervous since she was expecting something special.

Their eyes were glued to each other and they spoke a thousand words without actually saying anything. Akash understood her expectations and even Aleesha understood that Akash was really going to make it special. For the next few minutes, they kept looking at each other, forgetting all about the movie. Slowly and steadily, they were coming close to each other, with neither of them realizing it. Their foreheads almost touched each other but they still didn’t speak a word. Akash lifted his hand to touch her cheeks. His heart breathed heavily and he could sense the same feelings in Aleesha’s eyes. Their face tilted and they almost kissed each other. Their lips were inches away. His palm was about to touch her cheeks when the lights came on.

Interval

Immediately they moved back to their original position and acted as if nothing had happened. Aleesha started curling a strand of her hair with her fingers while Akash stretched his body pretending to relax. They looked at each other and exchanged innocent smiles.

‘Don’t move. I’ll be back in a few minutes with your surprise,’ Akash said getting up from his seat.

‘What’s it, Akash? Come on. Tell me. Where are you going?’ Aleesha almost pleaded this time. She was losing all her patience. Akash blinked his eyes and asked her to wait for a moment.

Aleesha took out the Bisleri water bottle from her bag. Just as she was about to take a sip, she saw her name flash on the movie screen. She could not believe her eyes.

Is that real? I mean how? Why? What’s next? Is this the surprise Akash was talking about? Did he go outside for this? Her mind was preoccupied with these thoughts while her eyes looked for Akash. He couldn’t be seen anywhere. She looked back at the screen and didn’t dare to look anywhere else. She felt like her heart had stopped beating.

Aleesha! Aleesha! Aleesha! The text appeared on the screen.

I don’t know what will be your reaction after watching this short movie. But I am sure you won’t hit me. The text flashed on the screen one after the other.

I’ve always been someone who is always at a loss for words. But, today I felt like telling you everything to lighten my heart. It’s for the very first time in my life that I am taking this step and have dared to do something like this. I would like to tell you that you have wooed me from the very first meeting. I want to let you know that I am madly in love with you and I promise you that I will do my best in making you feel loved and secure with me. I don’t know what you think of me, but you really are very special for me. According to me, you are the most beautiful girl in this world. Megan Fox is no match for you. The stars lose their shine when I think about your smile.

I’ve seen dreams of me kissing you and have spent lonely nights thinking of you. If only you could hear my heart’s voice, you would have known that I will love you like no one else. The days have passed since I feel your love in every song. Now it’s time to say what I have kept hidden for so long. I want you to stay by my side. Aleesha, I love you! I love you so much that I cannot express it enough. I have a small surprise to let you know that you are my life. I have never felt so good.

A photograph of Akash and Aleesha appeared on the screen with ‘Made for each other and together forever’ written on it.

Akash was standing near the entrance door and observing Aleesha all through the clip. Her happiness knew no bounds. She came down immediately when she saw Akash standing near the screen. She stood in front of him. They looked at each other for a moment. Akash was the first one to break the silence.

‘You won’t say anything?’

‘I am speechless, Akash. When did you plan all of this? I never expected that someone would ever do this to me. I am flattered. I still can’t believe you actually did this. You had kept our photograph too, the one which we had taken in McDonald’s,’ she said, and Akash came close and held her hands.

‘I wanted to tell you about my feelings in person, but thought of making it special and memorable. I always feared telling you about it because I feared losing you as a friend. I consider myself really lucky to have a friend like you. But now I want to tell you the truth. Each moment away from you feels like a thousand deaths. I would rather lose you and live in sorrow than spend the rest of my life wondering what if…’ Akash stopped for a moment and said, ‘I hope you will not hate me. But what choice did I have? You are the most wonderful girl I have ever met and not falling in love with you was never an option for me. I love you, Aleesha.’

He had finally expressed his love and he felt on top of the world. Aleesha kept smiling and looking at him with intensity. Without further delay, she hugged him tightly. The moment they hugged, everyone in the hall applauded. It was then that they realized they were in a movie hall. The last few minutes had taken them into a world which many only dream of. They didn’t wait for the interval to get over. They left the movie hall to spend some time together before the day came to an end. Akash again thanked the manager for executing his plan to perfection.

Akash started the car and kept one hand on the steering and the other on Aleesha’s shoulder. Aleesha too rested her head on his shoulder. Akash gently kissed her forehead and continued driving.

They had almost reached the bridge in Mulund which connected Navi Mumbai and Eastern Express Highway when Akash stopped the car at the side of the road. He sensed his phone was beeping. He attended the call and was about to start the car when Aleesha insisted him to wait for some time. Akash switched on the car’s radio.

‘I just want to see you so that I can dream about you tonight. I love you Akash. I never thought I would love someone whom I had never even met a few months back. But unexpected things happen and that’s life,’ Aleesha said kissing Akash’s hand.

‘I love you too. It feels so nice and secure to hear those words from you. Always be with me.’ Akash kissed her hands and pulled her cheeks, which made Aleesha blush.

Akash increased the volume of radio as his favourite song was being played. He grabbed the opportunity and dedicated the same to Aleesha.

Seedhe saadhe saara sauda seedha seedha hona jee,

Maine tumko paana hai ya tune main ko khona jee,

Aaja dil ki kare saude baazi kya naarazi…

Aa re aa re aa re aa!

Sauda hai dil ka yeh, tu kar bhi le,

Mera jahan tu baahon me tu bhar bhi le,

Saude me de kasam, kasam bhi le,

Aake tu nigaahon me sawar bhi le…

After the song ended, Akash sensed the intensity of the moment, switched off the headlights of the car, and switched on the parking lights. The glasses were tinted which made it safe for them. She was waiting for Akash to kiss her. Akash was nervous. He was so close yet so far. The sound of parking lights was the only sound audible apart from their breaths. She had closed her eyes.

Gosh, how on earth can it be so easy for her? Akash couldn’t understand it.

He couldn’t stop thinking about how he was going to kiss her. He was pretty sure that steam would erupt from his ears if he held her tight and tried to kiss her. He was extremely nervous. It was his first kiss. Aleesha was ready for it. She still had her eyes closed and could feel Akash’s breath inching closer to her. Akash looked outside the window. It was late evening and the street was quite dark. He had to kiss her and she was waiting.

Why couldn’t she make the first move, he thought to himself. ‘I love you’ said Akash and turned towards her. He wrapped his right hand around her and kept his left hand on her shoulders, bringing her closer to himself. She leant on him while Akash stroked her back. Finally, their lips met. It was their first kiss in a car on a roadside with no one watching them. He started licking her lower lip and gesturing her to open her mouth. When her lips opened, he slowly pushed his tongue inside her mouth and gently explored it. He placed one hand tightly on her neck and the other one on her cheek. She lightly bit his lip and rolled her tongue over his lower lip. Their hands explored each other. He pushed his hands inside her top while Aleesha massaged his thighs gently. Akash’s hand searched for her bra strap when Aleesha opened her eyes and resisted.

‘Not now. This is not the right place,’ Aleesha said releasing herself from him. They were completely exhausted and out of breath. She smiled looking at him and gave another small kiss.

Akash had pushed his seat back to get some leg space and Aleesha was resting her head on his lap. Akash played with her hair and kissed her forehead. Throughout the journey, Aleesha kept on kissing his neck and biting his ears. He dropped her home and returned. He got down the car and searched for his mobile.

July 7 had indeed become memorable for both Akash and Aleesha. Akash had expressed his feelings in the most perfect way possible, and Aleesha was floating on cloud nine. She wanted someone exactly like Akash who could cross all limits for her to make her happy. Their destiny had brought them together. Their lips met as if their souls were meeting. Even when Akash closed his eyes on his bed, he could feel Aleesha’s juicy lips and the tender kiss they had shared. Aleesha too kept thinking about her first kiss that was as memorable as the first Filmfare award that an actor receives in appreciation of his work. She kept blushing all the time whenever she thought about him.

Before they slept, they both changed their BBM status to the song they had sung in the car.

Aaja dil ki kare saude baazi kya narazi… Aa re aa re aa re aa!