(You need to read the previous parts to enjoy this one!)
“Don’t say no later, then.” he winked, as he stood up.
She looked at him with a confused expression.
“Sit down.” she said with an amused smile.
“Only if you agree to be my girlfriend for the day.” he mimicked her.
“You’re forgetting, I already have a boyfriend, plus, only a few hours for the day to end.” she said with a hint of irritation.
He said nothing, just got up and started walking towards the water. Now, she panicked.
“Okay. I’m your girlfriend for the rest of this day.” she shouted.
He turned back and gave her a triumphant grin. Damn, if smiles could kill, she would have died a thousand deaths by now.
“You know, you’re not as great as I was beginning to think you are.” she said as he came back to sit with her.
“You think I am great?” he smiled.
“Thought!” She corrected him, trying to ignore the smile.
As he opened his mouth to say something, her phone rang, her ringtone sending him into fits of laughter. She glared at him while she took Nikhil’s call.
“Hello?” she said.
“Hey, where are you?”
“Chowpatty.”
“With Vaibhav?” his voice was more relieved than possessive.
“Yes.” she answered.
“Great. Hey, listen. I have to go to a concert today so don’t call me. I’ll call you if I get time.”
“Sure. Enjoy.” She said and without waiting for his reply, she disconnected the call.
“You’re my honeybunch, sugarplum, pumpy-umpy-umpkin, you’re my sweetie pie... Who puts this as a ringtone?” Vaibhav laughed.
“I do.” she said a bit more harshly than she intended.
“Something wrong?” he asked.
“Nah. I am hungry.” she said, suddenly getting up.
Vaibhav got up deciding to drop the matter for now.
“So, where do you wish to eat, Mademoiselle? Will The Oberoi suit your taste?” he asked faking a French accent and she giggled.
“Actually, I was thinking of going back home. It is 6:30 already and we have to cook.” she said, still smiling.
“We?” he asked.
“Saumya and me! We’ve rented a flat and we do the cooking ourselves.” she informed him.
“I hope you remember that I am leaving tomorrow morning. My flight is at nine.” he reminded her.
Unexpectedly tears welled up in her eyes. She was surprised herself. Yesterday she was so angry at Nikhil and Vaibhav for ruining her weekend and today she didn’t want him to go. She wanted to know him better. She had enjoyed his company so much in the two days that she did not want him to go. Tears rolled down her cheeks and Vaibhav wiped them off, clearly surprised.
“You’re crying?” he asked.
“No, something got into my eyes.” She said wiping the tears.
“You know this excuse is so old, even a kid won’t believe it.” he frowned.
“You really want to know?”
“Of Course!”
“I don’t want you to go. Not yet.” she said and looked away.
Her expression told him that she did not want his reply so he just stood there, not saying anything, just looking at her.
“I really must go now.” she said after a few minutes.
“I’ll drop you.” his tone made it clear that he had no intention of changing his mind.
She sighed and nodded. They took a taxi. The entire half an hour neither of them spoke. Vaibhav placed his hand on Navya’s hand and gently squeezed it. Her eyes flooded with fresh tears. When the taxi stopped in front of her apartment she sighed and said, “Time to go.”
“What? I don’t get to kiss my girlfriend?” he asked pretending to be disappointed as they stepped out of the taxi.
“Sure, you do.” and she stood on her toes and kissed both his cheeks.
He smiled and kissed her forehead.
“I never thought, I will say this, especially to you but I will miss you.” she choked back tears.
“I’ll miss you too.” he said softly.
“Good Night!” she said, her voice barely audible.
“Good Night.” he smiled and watched her as she went inside.
It broke his heart to see her go. He stood there, even when she was gone. When was the last time he had felt so strongly for a girl? Never, came a little voice from inside. She was not the type of girl he would have dated if he had a choice. Undoubtedly, she was the most beautiful girl he had seen in a while but that was it. For the first time, he was feeling something beyond attraction for a girl. For a girl who was his best friend’s girlfriend.
“Bhaiya? Chalna hai?” the taxi driver asked.
He shook his head and sat in the taxi.
Navya had never felt such strong emotions. Was she in love, again? No, she couldn’t be. She had only known him for two days. But wasn’t it enough, she asked herself. She had known more about him in two days than she knew about Nikhil in three months. Nikhil, who did not want to be disturbed during the concert. The concert was more important than her. She pushed these thoughts away as she joined Saumya in the kitchen.
“What’s cooking, good looking?” she tried to joke.
Saumya eyed her with concern.
“Pasta. You can go to your room. It is nearly done. I’ll call you.” she said.
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
“You’re an angel.”
“I know.” she laughed.
She was reading the messages Vaibhav had sent her last night when he called.
“Hello?”
“Hey! What are you doing?” he asked.
“Was thinking about you.” then with a pause, “Us.”
“What about us?” she asked, holding her breath.
“Were you serious when you said you didn’t want me to go?”
“No. I am good at acting. Was just showing off my talent.” she said angrily.
“Chill! I am going to call my dad with you on conference. Don’t say anything.”
“No. Wait...”
“yes.”
His dad took the call after a few rings.
“Hi dad!”
“Hello son. Coming back tomorrow, aren’t you?”
“Actually dad, I still have some work to complete. It will take me one more day.”
“Will it?”
“Yes, dad.”
His Dad seemed to be thinking for a while and both of them held their breath.
“Okay then, I’ll get you a ticket for tomorrow night. Will that do?”
“Sure dad. I...”
Navya made a happy sound and he coughed.
“I’ll talk to you later dad. The room-service is here.” and he disconnected the call.
“You nearly had me killed.” he chided.
“You’re staying. I am so happy.”
“Me too.” and she could feel him smile.
“Don’t say no later, then.” he winked, as he stood up.
She looked at him with a confused expression.
“Sit down.” she said with an amused smile.
“Only if you agree to be my girlfriend for the day.” he mimicked her.
“You’re forgetting, I already have a boyfriend, plus, only a few hours for the day to end.” she said with a hint of irritation.
He said nothing, just got up and started walking towards the water. Now, she panicked.
“Okay. I’m your girlfriend for the rest of this day.” she shouted.
He turned back and gave her a triumphant grin. Damn, if smiles could kill, she would have died a thousand deaths by now.
“You know, you’re not as great as I was beginning to think you are.” she said as he came back to sit with her.
“You think I am great?” he smiled.
“Thought!” She corrected him, trying to ignore the smile.
As he opened his mouth to say something, her phone rang, her ringtone sending him into fits of laughter. She glared at him while she took Nikhil’s call.
“Hello?” she said.
“Hey, where are you?”
“Chowpatty.”
“With Vaibhav?” his voice was more relieved than possessive.
“Yes.” she answered.
“Great. Hey, listen. I have to go to a concert today so don’t call me. I’ll call you if I get time.”
“Sure. Enjoy.” She said and without waiting for his reply, she disconnected the call.
“You’re my honeybunch, sugarplum, pumpy-umpy-umpkin, you’re my sweetie pie... Who puts this as a ringtone?” Vaibhav laughed.
“I do.” she said a bit more harshly than she intended.
“Something wrong?” he asked.
“Nah. I am hungry.” she said, suddenly getting up.
Vaibhav got up deciding to drop the matter for now.
“So, where do you wish to eat, Mademoiselle? Will The Oberoi suit your taste?” he asked faking a French accent and she giggled.
“Actually, I was thinking of going back home. It is 6:30 already and we have to cook.” she said, still smiling.
“We?” he asked.
“Saumya and me! We’ve rented a flat and we do the cooking ourselves.” she informed him.
“I hope you remember that I am leaving tomorrow morning. My flight is at nine.” he reminded her.
Unexpectedly tears welled up in her eyes. She was surprised herself. Yesterday she was so angry at Nikhil and Vaibhav for ruining her weekend and today she didn’t want him to go. She wanted to know him better. She had enjoyed his company so much in the two days that she did not want him to go. Tears rolled down her cheeks and Vaibhav wiped them off, clearly surprised.
“You’re crying?” he asked.
“No, something got into my eyes.” She said wiping the tears.
“You know this excuse is so old, even a kid won’t believe it.” he frowned.
“You really want to know?”
“Of Course!”
“I don’t want you to go. Not yet.” she said and looked away.
Her expression told him that she did not want his reply so he just stood there, not saying anything, just looking at her.
“I really must go now.” she said after a few minutes.
“I’ll drop you.” his tone made it clear that he had no intention of changing his mind.
She sighed and nodded. They took a taxi. The entire half an hour neither of them spoke. Vaibhav placed his hand on Navya’s hand and gently squeezed it. Her eyes flooded with fresh tears. When the taxi stopped in front of her apartment she sighed and said, “Time to go.”
“What? I don’t get to kiss my girlfriend?” he asked pretending to be disappointed as they stepped out of the taxi.
“Sure, you do.” and she stood on her toes and kissed both his cheeks.
He smiled and kissed her forehead.
“I never thought, I will say this, especially to you but I will miss you.” she choked back tears.
“I’ll miss you too.” he said softly.
“Good Night!” she said, her voice barely audible.
“Good Night.” he smiled and watched her as she went inside.
It broke his heart to see her go. He stood there, even when she was gone. When was the last time he had felt so strongly for a girl? Never, came a little voice from inside. She was not the type of girl he would have dated if he had a choice. Undoubtedly, she was the most beautiful girl he had seen in a while but that was it. For the first time, he was feeling something beyond attraction for a girl. For a girl who was his best friend’s girlfriend.
“Bhaiya? Chalna hai?” the taxi driver asked.
He shook his head and sat in the taxi.
Navya had never felt such strong emotions. Was she in love, again? No, she couldn’t be. She had only known him for two days. But wasn’t it enough, she asked herself. She had known more about him in two days than she knew about Nikhil in three months. Nikhil, who did not want to be disturbed during the concert. The concert was more important than her. She pushed these thoughts away as she joined Saumya in the kitchen.
“What’s cooking, good looking?” she tried to joke.
Saumya eyed her with concern.
“Pasta. You can go to your room. It is nearly done. I’ll call you.” she said.
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
“You’re an angel.”
“I know.” she laughed.
She was reading the messages Vaibhav had sent her last night when he called.
“Hello?”
“Hey! What are you doing?” he asked.
“Was thinking about you.” then with a pause, “Us.”
“What about us?” she asked, holding her breath.
“Were you serious when you said you didn’t want me to go?”
“No. I am good at acting. Was just showing off my talent.” she said angrily.
“Chill! I am going to call my dad with you on conference. Don’t say anything.”
“No. Wait...”
“yes.”
His dad took the call after a few rings.
“Hi dad!”
“Hello son. Coming back tomorrow, aren’t you?”
“Actually dad, I still have some work to complete. It will take me one more day.”
“Will it?”
“Yes, dad.”
His Dad seemed to be thinking for a while and both of them held their breath.
“Okay then, I’ll get you a ticket for tomorrow night. Will that do?”
“Sure dad. I...”
Navya made a happy sound and he coughed.
“I’ll talk to you later dad. The room-service is here.” and he disconnected the call.
“You nearly had me killed.” he chided.
“You’re staying. I am so happy.”
“Me too.” and she could feel him smile.
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