More than a year ago...

It was the Annual Fest Day in Somaiya Vidyavihar University.

Actually the first day out of three consecutive days. I didn't dig watching a repeated telecast of the festivities I already witnessed for the past two years. Some dance performances, some music, a contest here, a food stall there and viola, you had a generic college function in your hands. Food and celebrity concerts were the only excusable reason to attend these shows.

“The fashion show's about to begin. Come in, we'll get to see some hot punks for once,” Khushboo urged, dragging by hand. I opened my mouth to take another bite of my burger but all my mouth caught was air.

“Ah, let me finish this first! Oop-” I whined and nearly saved my precious burger from slipping out of my hands. “Bitchy Boo.”

Khushboo mumbled an apology to me before calling Ayesha to join us as well. The three of us gathered at the open field in front of the stage. The place was filled with noise, music and cheers. Fashion walk, my ass! It was just a show with pretty faces, wearing pretty clothes. A content smile escaped my lips as I finally took the burger bite in peace. Perhaps I'll try the uthappam snack next.

Young boys and girls entered the stage one by one in fancy outfits followed by cheers. It only got louder when they exited in pairs, making couple like poses. If anything, at least the guys looked hot. I'll simply feast my eyes on them.

Then entered the fourth pair.

Ayesha might have something but I didn't hear it. The crowd might have cheered louder but it felt deaf to my ears. The man in maroon- golden sherwani with a fancy shawl was all I could look at. His thick black hair was combed in a way that appeared puffy in general. His facial hair with a minimal beard, his chiselled jaw, chapped red lips, smoky eyes and slightly bulky body made him look no less than a thirsty model. He walked like a dream, taking each step with confidence. He stopped in the front of the stage with one hand on his pocket, making few girls swoon including me. I guess the reaction caught him by surprise since his stoic expression faltered.

And then, the sexiest thing happened— the corner of his lips extended to a full blown smile.

The bimbos in the crowd went bananas after that. When the solo walk was over, he took the hand of a woman in a black-red saree as they graced the ramp walk together. It was un- Natasha like to feel envious of a mere girl linking arms with him but I couldn't help it. I was already wishing I was her.

Besides that, my gaze never wavered. Not even when he took his stand in the corner of the stage amongst other participants. I took in every inch of that specimen in every second he was present.

He took my breath away.

“Gosh, will you stop gawking at him like a shocked kitten? You're embarrassing me here. It's only a matter of time before he notices you,” Ayesha whisper shouted to me. Apparently, we were seated on a table while a group of boys including that hottie was seated across us. Too bad he wasn't in his maroon sherwani this time.

“Boo, what was his name again?”

“I don't know. Rithik something.”

“Ah, Rithik something...!” I rolled his name out of my lips, dazed. His forehead creased a bit as he observed the menu card of the canteen. “What a sensuous name!”

“Sounds like Hrithik Roshan, though the actor is a hundred times hotter.” Ayesha commented before flicking her fingers in front of my face, snapping me back to her. “If we can kindly have your attention, your highness. What would you like for dinner?”

“A plate of him would be nice. Kidding, I'll simply take one of whatever you guys are ordering.” I responded half-heartedly before diverting my gaze to my object of attention. Rithik got up while talking to someone on phone, moving away from my line of sight. “Aree, where are you going? Don't leave.”

“How about kadi rice?”

“Leave her be, Ayesha. She's a lost cause today. Let us decide.” Khushboo sighed. She then added. “Aren't you glad I brought you here, Nat?”

“So glad I could kiss you right now.”

“Hmm, honestly I wouldn't mind that.”

“Oh my God! Am I going to see some girl- on- girl action tonight?”

“Sure, skank!” I threw a flying kiss at Khushboo while she pretended to catch it. We all shared a laugh before I stole another glance at the heartthrob. Apparently, Rithik ended his call and was on his way towards his friends. I had a hard time deciding whether he looked sexier from the front or behind. Just as he observed around, he caught my eyes. My heart skipped a beat.

“Shit!” I cussed under my breath, squeezing my eyes shut for a second. I got nervous for no reason. I turned to my gang instead. “So, what did you guys order?”

*

Rithik fell into my peripheral vision a number of times after that. My gaze darted across the herd of students, just to find him. And when I did, I would gape at him for a while, probably envision some imaginary scenarios in my head and then move on. He was just an occurrence. A handsome one at that.

Until one fateful night two months later.

I was at a bar by Bandra late evening. It was my first time here. I was supposed to meet a fucker but he changed his plans in the last minute. I decided to stay here anyway and undress my mood with drinks.

So it was purely coincidental when I spotted a known figure in the bar, sitting all by himself. This Rithik was in pale pink top and jeans today. Could this be my one and only chance to approach him? Was Cupid finally playing cupid to my sexual life?

Without giving another thought, I sauntered my way towards the bar. I swear I was about to open my filthy mouth but Rithik stood up, making me lose my cool right then. I swayed to the opposite side, turning away from him.

What was I? A teen flick movie. I failed to initiate contact. Again. Dejected, I started to walk away.

“Excuse me,” A deep male voice called, rendering me motionless. “Is this yours?”

I turned around to witness Rithik picking something from the ground. It was a pink bracelet. He stood at approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall (or so I heard). It was my first time seeing him up close. It was his first time acknowledging my existence in my crop top and jeans. Heck, it was the first time we locked eyes like this. His eyes shone under the neon lights of the club. Did his eyes always looked this enchanting, this sad?

“Uh, no, it's not mine...” I answered, looking everywhere else but him. My heart was picking up pace. I gathering myself and added. “You can give it to the security guard under lost and found items.”

His eyes accessed me in suspicion. “Do I know you? I feel like I've seen you somewhere.”

Busted! “You must have seen me at our Uni. Hi, Natasha Patil this side.”

“Rithik Arora.” We shook hands, though his face screamed sceptical all over. “But I'm guessing you already know that.”

“Only the first name,” I told the truth. “You looked fabulous during the fest by the way. Congratulations on winning the third prize.”

“Thanks,” Rithik replied, his voice monotone. Guess he was already used to people congratulating him for the fest. Must be tiring being Mister Popular. His eyes swivelled around the place and exhaled when he failed to find whatever he seemed to be looking for. “So what brings you here?”

“Initially I was supposed to meet a man but he cancelled so... I wandered alone.”

He nodded in understanding, glancing towards the entry door once more. “Guess we are both in the same boat, Natasha. I've been ditched by a man, too. Friend in my case.”

My ears almost reddened at the sound of my name from lips. Ah, I could become wet just by that. We remained still as if standing on an intersection. Whatever we say next would decide whether we stayed or not. I took the bait. “In that case, we might need some drinks to sustain our boat.”

For a while, he had me thinking he would reject my invitation but then he turned my way with a small smile. “Sure.”

*

Needless to say, the drinks loosened us up. Not that we were drunk or anything. The alcohol simply got us talking. Talking shit about studies, exams and the uncertainty of our careers. The same old worry of what we were doing with our lives. He was a first year MBA student while I was in my third year of B.Tech Design engineering. No wonder I didn't notice him earlier. There was no way my radar would miss such a hottie.

“So what brings you today?”

I shot him an inquisitive look, “I thought I already answered that.”

“Yeah but who knows, you could have stalked my way till here.”

I let out a burp and turned away momentarily. “Sorry to disappoint but stalking is not my forte, regardless of looks. Guys aren't that fascinating anyway.”

“And how do I look?” He turned his rotating chair, wriggling his brows at me.

I deadpanned. “Not telling. Besides, what would one less compliment out of a hundred do to you?”

“Considering a lovely woman such as you, I'd say it will be equal to ten.” He winked before taking a long sip of whiskey, emptying another glass.

I closed my lips to a thin line, suppressing my smile. Was Rithik Arora flirting with me? I quickly took another sip. Thereafter, a playful kind of conversation started that went back-and-forth. Neither of us hesitated to order more drinks and refreshments along with it. An hour passed just like that. I stole a glance at Rithik who intently swayed his glass of quarter filled whiskey with his hand. I poked him out of his thoughts.

“So what's this handsome man thinking?”

His eyes widened. “Did you just compliment me?”

“Well, I have a habit of delaying my favors.”

He burst out laughing, his eyes crinkling in the process. I couldn't help but look. He had a pretty smile. Although it disappeared as soon as his face turned grim. His orbs reflected the color of the glass.

“You're a girl right. Tell me, what does love & relationship mean to you?”

“Funny how you assume a girl has all the answers to love,” I retorted. “Besides, I'm the last person to ask. I've never been in a real relationship.”

“Why? Didn't anyone feel right to you?”

“No, not that. I chose this path for myself,” I said. Not wanting to continue talking about me, I threw the ball at him instead. “What about you? Something must be bugging you to ask this question.”

He put the glass against his cheek, closing his eyes momentarily. “Hmm, I simply wonder if any of it is real. Two people get interested, explore every drop about each other, and enjoy their company... And then, poof! It's gone. Suddenly the person you liked isn't the same anymore. Somehow your sweet conversations have turned into petty arguments. You think to yourself what the F did you see in her and feel guilty for thinking like that. You try to perfect yourself but turn out to be more flawed than before... Is there any point in all of this? Is it worth it?”

“Well, if you ask me, there's no point in anything. Education, money, job, marriage. It's like a pamphlet given to survive a human life.” I leaned my head down the table and continued further, my voice getting croaky. "We are in a constant pursuit of happiness but somewhere along, we end up getting fucked up instead. Makes you wonder if there's any point in living at all.”

“Oi, too negative! At times like this you should lighten me up with positive crap like 'everything gets better' or 'every cloud has a silver lining'.”

“Does it?” My voice got lower as my mind wandered far, far away. “Does it get better...?”

“Of course it does,” His voice softened. Eventually he put his head on the table as well, facing me. “Change is the only constant in our lives. It's like a giant wheel, you see. If it's down, it's bound to go up. We just have to notice it.”

“Hmm, I'll take your word for it since you're cute,” I replied which made both of us chuckle. When the laughter quietened down, we had nothing but ourselves to pay attention to. So, we looked at each other.

And looked and looked.

Okay, we were definitely drunk at this point. For starters, I didn't even realize when we shifted closer to the point where our hands touched. I rested my head against my palm on the table, barely able to keep my eyes open. He muttered something but I couldn't hear it clearly. I told him to repeat it again.

“I said your eyes are mature,” He whispered sheepishly as if it was top secret. And I acted like one by faking a gasp.

“My, my, you can read people.”

“You might not believe it but my Chacha is a face reader so I learnt a few things.”

“How wild! Tell me then, What does my face tell you?” I raised my head to him joyfully so he could take a closer look.

“I already told you, mature eyes.” And then, he was looking at me sincerely. “Eyes and face that has seen and heard a lot of things. You also possess unbound confidence, intelligence and crass. Like you scream don't mess with me or I mess with you.”

“You're good. Very good.”

“Pleased to hear, now where's my fee?” Rithik joked, extending his hand and we shared another laugh. Then, he sort of took my breath away by tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. “You are beautiful, and I don't need any sort of face reading skills to see that.”

“Oh,” I swallowed a smile. Right then, we locked gazes. There was a moment. But not a second too soon, a motherfucker called Rithik's name and he got out of whatever stupor he was in. Rithik stood abruptly as if he wasn't supposed to be here. His cockblocker friend approached him and they had a small talk. Rithik whispered something to his friend's ear after which he left.

“Hey, listen,” I spoke immediately to grab his attention. “I don't have a fee to give but I can give you something better instead. My time. You are free to do anything on my time.” I whispered the last part.

“Is that so, miss Patil?” He said, eyeing me flirtatiously. It seemed like he was going for something when he inched closer to my face. Instead, he extended his arm to grab his smartphone that lay on the bar table behind me. I clenched my jaw as I felt his cheek nearly touching mine. He smelled of a leather jacket and a bit of fruit from the cocktail we had earlier. He shot another look and smiled. I could tell even before he added, “I appreciate the offer but no. I gotta leave.” 

“Is that so, Arora?”

He nodded regrettably. “For what it's worth, you did give me your time. It's just bad timing sometimes. Also, I already paid for the food so... goodnight. It was nice meeting you. Kind of cheered me up.”

“What can I say? Kindness is my middle name.” I joked, earning a chuckle from him. Soon he left leaving a trail of unfulfilled desires in my wake. It was only when I watched his back retreating away that I was able to say, “You weren't the only one cheered up.”

I continued to gape at Rithik like a dunce as he chatted merrily with his two boy friends. I couldn't understand what stung me more. The fact that jackass went away or the fact that I, Natasha Patil was rejected.

Of course it was the latter. I found myself too fantastic to be rejected.

True indeed, Rithik couldn't help but eye-fuck me from a distance. I couldn't help either, despite my inner voice telling me to save my pride and leave. In the end, I  finished my dinner and left.

*

Present

I woke up to the view of the sun emerging besides the foggy clouds behind the green valley. For a moment, I simply stood still, staring at the scenic morning from the guestroom window. Apparently, I was on a trip to Mahabaleshwar with some of my University friends and boyfriend.

That word was still cringy as fuck sometimes.

I stepped outside the girls room after refreshing myself. Khushboo and Ayesha were still sleeping like dead horses. Did Ayesha know that she snored in her sleep? I'd probably mock her about the same later on.

It was certainly chilling, despite the peach cardigan I wore. I found Rithik leaning beside the border of the porch, gazing peacefully at the view outside. Wordlessly, I took out my mobile and took a photo of him. He noticed a second later. I rolled my eyes, smiling when he began posing for the same.

“That reminds me. Here,” Rithik said handing out a paper bag. It had a small strip of medicinal tablets. “You were having an upset stomach yesterday na. It's for that. Hope you're feeling better now.”

When I stared at him like a dumbfuck person, he waved a hand in question. “What happened?”

I think I fell for you more.

“Uh, nothing. I feel slightly better but I'll take this just in case. Thanks.” I replied instead. A staff member passed by and we requested him to give us a cup of ginger tea. We began talking about the weather when I interrupted, “Do you remember the first time we met?”

“Hmm, it's kind of a vague memory. Perhaps if you scoop closer...” Rithik paused to pull me by my arm from behind. “Oh, I'm starting to remember now.”

My first instinct as always was to look around. No one was there. I sighed before elbowing him behind on his chest, earning a groan. “Seriously, do you have to be a hugger bear all the time?”

“Ow, I need to recharge my battery from time to time. This is how I do it. Deal with it,” He encircled his arms around my waist and nuzzled my hair. Smiling, I gave in and held his hand. Our attention turned to the misty garden in front of us. A small turtle roamed around a little pond bordered with pretty potted plants. For a while, we simply commented on the garden and the turtle before Rithik answered my previous question. “I do remember our first meeting. It was torture.”

“Torture, how?”

“My ex and I were in a cold war against each other, but instead of confronting that, I ran away and stumbled across this gorgeous woman at a bar I didn't know existed on our campus. I was instantly drawn and it looked like she was, too.” He undid his arms while I turned to him, surprised. “I wanted to say yes to your invitation that night and that made me guilty as fuck.”

“So that's why you rejected me. I thought I did something pathetic or crossed my line.”

“You didn't. You were you. But me? I couldn't look in Rithika's eyes the next time we met. It's like I cheated on her.”

“But you didn't. You could have said yes, but you didn't and that's what matters.” I consoled, caressing his cheek.

“It's all history now. I'm glad we met that day. It's the first time I know of your existence. Though I forgot about you after a few days because, life. You only got my attention when you arrived at the Barista with Shiv later on.”

My memory instantly flashed an image of Rithik working at the Barista. So much had happened since then, it was unreal. “I see. Although that wasn't my first time I saw you. At the bar I mean.”

“Ah, that I'm aware. Khushboo told me all about it. How I caught your attention at the fashion show? How you barely ate dinner 'cause you were too busy eye fucking me. Ah, the perks of being handsome!” He ran a hand through his hair, smirking.

My cheeks flushed as I recalled a memory of both Rithik and Khushboo mocking the hell out of me for this. I crossed my arms but this just made him pull my cheeks.

“I'm just happy to know I wasn't the only one crazy for you. To know there was a time when you knew of my existence but I didn't. The thought satisfies me greatly.”

Later on, Rithik and I decided to stay at Mahabaleshwar for another day while the group returned to Mumbai. Something about traveling together, just the two of us and having sex in the mountains. What was the difference, really? It wasn't like my cum would turn to cold river water. He cringed hearing that.

Regardless, we had a great time together. The kind that one would look back fondly in the days to come. At times, it still seemed surreal that a popular guy like him was with me. As I leaned on his arm on the way back home on the bus, I couldn't help but pray.

Pray that our happiness lasts forever.

It will last forever, Nat! 😅 Stop saying such ominous things.

Thoughts about this chapter. I added this chapter later on thinking about how Rithik and Natasha first met. Do you like it? Comment your thoughts.

Look forward. 😏