“Rithik!” Yash called me out aloud, pausing me from my ongoing observation of stocks on the phone. “Your samosa and tea is here.”

“Coming!” I answered, before getting back to the phone. I clicked my tongue in disappointment seeing the falling red line of the Nifty stocks. I swiped my fingers on the screen, heading to my watchlist. Felt a glimmer of hope seeing a green line against one of the pharmaceutical companies I booked my profits on. Guess I'd have to rely on that for today. I booked some more profits on that company's name before closing the screen.

I headed towards the open dhaba to join the table with Yash, Atul and Shailesh. My eyes lit up at the all- too- familiar sight of the triangular snack laying beside the green chutney. My stomach was already growling with quiet hunger. I quickly began biting on it, never minding the occasional burning of the tongue from the hot potato and paneer mesh inside. When we finished our snacks, Atul threw me a mocked, pitiful look.

“Bhai, do one thing na. I'll bring a miniature mangalsutra and sindoor from a nearby shop. Then you can put it over the sleek neck of that sa- samosa and officially ma-marry her puft~” Atul sputtered, wheezing as he said that, followed by a collective laughter from the rest of my gang. I rolled my eyes. Fucking retards!

The conversation only turned south when Shailesh pondered how I'd spend a wedding night with a damn samosa as if it was a global crisis. That hit a nerve so I outsmarted him joking atleast some crazy minded cunt could come up with a sex toy in the form of samosa. But what about chickpeas? Fake brown balls? Shailesh grimaced hearing that while others guffawed at his expense this time. I let out a victorious smile. The prick had it coming.

Some more despicable jokes later, the scoundrels dispersed for a washroom break. We were currently on a highway, heading towards Mahabaleshwar through a bunch of lousy motorbikes. I crossed to the other side of the road. We were already a hundred meters above the ground and were about to ascend further into the mountain. Thick trees outlined the edges of the road, framed by thin lines of mist. One could already spot the small blocks of houses down below, nestled amongst the canopy of green. I swiveled my gaze across the scene, lingering on the queue of trees when I spotted something familiar.

A tree bearing white flowers— Plumeria.

And just like that, my mind fucked me by doing a one eighty degree reversal to two years ago. When a bewitching woman possessing grey eyes still existed in my life as my girlfriend.

~ ~ ~

It was the last year of our University — a month away from our graduation. Our troops were done with final semester exams and we were all awaiting our results.

I didn't know how the fuck it happened but Khushboo and Ayesha roped Natasha to go on a three-day trip to Mahabaleshwar. She even got permission from her parents (miracles happen). Me being a clingy boyfriend didn't wish to leave my girlfriend's cold ass alone so I tagged along. Not wanting to appear as a male creep in a female-only group, I threw my bunch of freeloaders— Yash, Shailesh and Atul into the mix as well. Not to forget Atul's girlfriend. A group of eight people. Great!

“I dare you, Patil,” I challenged while we were seated together on a bus, heading towards Mahabaleshwar. The bus passed through another bump on the road, causing us to jerk away from our seats. While the engine sang its own lousy song. Natasha eyed me in question. I draped an arm across her shoulder, grinning cheekily. “Kiss me on this bus once.”

Her lips parted in shock. She was sporting a high ponytail, wearing a black crop top and blue jeans looking sexy as always. My sexy woman. She shot me a mocked look. “Aree, why stop kissing, darling? Let's just go to the backseat and fornicate in front of everyone like wild rabbits.”

I raised a brow in amusement. “Oo, spicy. Will you really go that far for me?”

She slapped my shoulder, scowling. “Of course not, asshat. I'm down for anything, except PDA.”

“I know. Hence my challenge.”

“Pervert.”

“Look who's talking.” I said, pressing my lips into a thin line to suppress my laughter while she shot me a glare. This was too fun!

Another hour later, the bus stopped at a roadside dhaba for a lunch break. Just as I returned from the washroom to the table, I spotted Natasha waiting for me.

“Close your eyes, Rith. I've got something for you,” Natasha said, her eyes dancing with mischief.

“O', a surprise by her highness. Guess I'll have to do it,” I said and closed my eyes, smiling. I knew she was upto no good but I hardly cared. I'd readily be pranked by her.

Just then, I felt something tug at my right ear as her fingers worked through it, nearly making my skin tingle. Same with my left ear and then at the top of my head. Was it flowers or leaves? My smile fell, replaced that by indifference.

“Ah, done. You can open your eyes,” Natasha said. I did just that only to be welcomed by Ayesha, Khushboo and Yash in front. They pressed their lips to a thin line as if containing their laughter. Natasha spread her hands in front like she was displaying her best handiwork. “Presenting you, pookie Rithik— Natasha edition.”

“Pookie Rithik-” Atul repeated before bursting into a fit of laughter, followed by the rest of the gang. When curiosity got the better of me, I peeked into the mobile camera to see a pair of white flowers being tucked in one of each ear and some fixed crookedly between my hairs. It almost looked like a flowery headband, making me appear like a cartoon. I deadpanned.

“Hell no, don't remove it yet, please. You look so cuute,” Natasha protested in a honey-dripped voice just as I unplucked one flower above my head. I rolled my eyes and was about to remove all when the sound of her soft laughter reverberated in my ears. The way her dark grey eyes crinkled and her mouth flashed with a toothy smile. It melted my inner protests into a puddle. My hands lowered out of their own accord, as if she caught me in a spell. Damn you, woman!

“Just ten minutes tops,” I told her anyway while she pulled my cheek. A little while later, the waiters served a pallet of Indian dishes and everyone got down to eating their lunch.

“Are you still mad?” Natasha enquired when we returned to the bus. Of course I'd removed all the damn white flowers out of me by then. I narrowed my eyes at her. I recalled how she tried to put a lipstick on me and how that pink shade spread beyond my lips, making me look more pretty than before. I turned away, scowling. “Okay, baba, sorry. Why did you agree to my request anyway? You knew I was upto no good.”

That was easy. “Because you wanted to surprise me. You hardly do that so I went along with it.”

Her smile fell, replaced by guilt. Good. Soon others returned to their seats as well and the bus resumed its journey. In the midst, our gang played card games and sang classic Bollywood songs. Natasha was singing along too, but with less enthusiasm than before. Her smile didn't reach her eyes. Almost as if a bug was bothering her. Don't tell me she took my words to heart. Was she thinking she wasn't a good girlfriend now? Perhaps I should comfort her.

We settled down to our respective seats after a while, immersing ourselves in the scenery of the majestic hills unfolding beyond the window. Natasha and I were doing the same, talking about the other hill stations we visited. The air was getting chillier as I almost shivered.

“Will you close my eyes once more?” Natasha brought up suddenly. I cast her a sceptical look but this time, her face was devoid of mischievousness.

“Fine.” I said and did just that. I took a breath, waiting in anticipation. Two soft palms cupped either side of my face. A second later, I felt my face pull. Her sweet scent enveloped me like that white flower and before I knew it, I felt her soft lower lip nibbling against my parted one. My eyes popped wide. Instinctively, my body responded by kissing her back a little before we parted away.

“Sur- surprise,” Natasha said, fluttering her hands. Though her smile betrayed the redness on her cheeks that spread till her ears.

Of course her first instinct was to look around. Seemed like Ayesha, Khushboo and Shailesh caught us on our act as they shot us with cartoonish shocking looks. Ayesha clapped while Khusboo commented on her with ‘Way to go, bitch.’ Natasha flushed even harder if possible and buried her face between her palms.

“It's okay, babe. They will understand,” I said, melting like a puddle as I gathered her into my arms and kissed the top of her head, drowning in her cuteness. She finally uncovered her face, pouting and got away from me. “You really surprised me this time. I didn't think you had it in you to do that.”

“Neither did I. I don't kiss like that in public. Atleast in India,” She said, but then lifted her head to meet my gaze with an earnest smile. The kind that brimmed with nothing but love. “But if it's you, Rithik, I guess I'll be willing to cross all my comfort zones to reach you.”

Her words tugged my heartstrings as I peered at her, stunned. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to hear something like that. She giggled at that, joking whether her spell was too strong. I pulled her into her arms without thinking twice. She tried to pull away but gave in when I refused to budge. We remained in that embrace. “Thank you. This means a lot to me. You just made me fall harder for you. I love you, love you, baby.”

Her giggle was like music to my ears. “I love you, too. Now be a darling and get off— Mmph, umh—” Her voice came out muffled when I drew back, only to kiss her left cheek, her right and then her chin, openly cherishing her. She flared her nostrils. “You're too much, you know that.”

“Only for you, Nat. Only for you.”

A little while later amidst talking, I found Natasha leaning towards my side, sleeping. It was then I noticed her shivering frame. I moved her head carefully to rest at the seat then got up to fish out her dark jacket from her bag kept at the overhead luggage rack. I draped it around her back before pulling her to my arm again.

She stirred, her eyes opening momentarily while a few strands of her hair stuck like static to her face. She shot me a sheepish look before hooking my arm with hers and nestling her head there as if it were a pillow. She dozed off, seconds later, looking as peaceful as ever. Her small content smile seemed as if she had nothing in the world to worry about. I recalled how she mentioned how she liked sleeping beside me once. That she felt really calm and sheltered for some reason. My chest tightened for some reason and I couldn't understand why.

Regardless, I rested my head above hers and dozed off as well, continuing to remain within that safe stretch of time. A time that was ours and ours alone.

~ ~ ~

I twirled the stem of the Plumeria between my fingers and brought it to my nose, smelling it. Smelling her. Her words made me believe that we would be able to pass through all hurdles together. Alas, I was wrong. So very wrong. Funny how my heart swelled with love that time. Now it was just a barren land with nothing but emptiness before me.

“Bro, let's go. We are gonna be late,” Shailesh called me from afar as the men climbed onto their respective bikes to resume our journey. I inhaled the sweet scent of the flower one more time— the image of a smiling Natasha burning behind my close eyelids before tossing it to the ground.

~ ~ ~

Our gang continued to travel through the familiar roads in their motorbikes while I sat behind Yash, sightseeing. Sunlight fell through the gaps between the trees showering upon us like a blessing. I closed my eyes, smiling— absorbing the gentle heat, the crispy mystical air tingling against my skin and the mountainous nature circling us. Although closing my vision allowed memories to leak in. Memories I didn't want to give a shit to. My jaw clenched.

Of course my traitorous mind wondered how Natasha was doing now. The question often banged like an annoying alarm clock, begging for attention. But this time, I wanted to be strong. To keep the oath of ignorance I’d made to myself. Of course picking her call was a different thing altogether. It was still futile. The constant tug of war between my heart and mind wore me out.

So I resorted to a temporary solution. To let my pathetic heart breathe in peace.

“Look, I cannot keep aiding you like this. I'm her friend first, not yours, moron,” Vansh retorted on the phone. I ignored his bitchy whining as usual. “You wanna know how she's doing? Call her instead! I'm sure she'll be delighted to hear your voice. She misses you.”

“Good. Atleast that longing isn't one-sided. Let her suffer. It's her punishment for not taking me back. I won't call her. Not after doing so much.” My rudeness slipped out without trying.

“Then don't bother asking me for favors either. I'm not your personal chaperone.” He shot back. “Bye—”

“Come on, help a guy out. I just want to hear her voice. You must know what it feels like to miss someone who's far away, right. You miss your woman, too,” I played onto the emotional card and pleaded. “Just one more time. Please.”

Vansh grunted in frustration. He mumbled something about being an unnecessary third- wheeler playing cupid before shutting his trap for good. I exhaled in relief when he didn't cut the call. I waited in anticipation. Seconds stretched into minutes. And then.

“Morning boys,” I heard Natasha's cool voice from a distance on the phone. I swore my heart did a little gallop there. Even more when she mocked and laughed at Irfan about his stomach issues or something. I held onto my phone like it was my heartbeat. For once, I let my lips curve like a love-sick fool.

“Thanks, Vansh. I owe you,” I said grinning after I stopped hearing her mesmerizing voice after a while. He even clicked her snap for me as requested.

“Hopefully this is the last time,” There was a pause until Vansh added. “I know why you're doing this, but it's not a crime to give into your heart sometimes. Showing ego never did good to anyone. Not even you. Call her, man. You'll feel good.”

~ ~ ~

“Let me ride,” I said after opening the face shield of the helmet to let my voice through.

“You sure?” Yash enquired and I nodded. He halted the motorbike to the side and released the clutch. We switched places. As my large hands gripped around the handlebar, I paused, looking at the long stretch of curved road ahead. I noticed a few cars and buses coming from the other side. I patiently watched the vehicles, feeling a surge of confidence as they passed me by. I took a deep inhale and exhale. I can do this. I will.

I adjusted the helmet, released the clutch and revved the throttle. The sound of the roaring engine filled my ears with ease and dread both. With that, I got moving with a dubious Yash behind me. He didn't nag me even after our friends rode ahead, leaving us behind. Instead he encouraged me to continue. I appreciated that.

At first I moved slowly, which was unlike me. I never rode slow. But when my fears dwindled, I sped the throttle and allowed the motorbike to slant slightly towards the sleek curve of the road. Hot adrenaline coursed through my body and a wide smile escaped my lips. Yes, that's the thrill! I maneuvered the bike through the spaces left by the cars ahead, feeling controlled. Feeling free. Yash tapped my shoulder, warning me to take it slow but I paid no heed. I was finally getting the hang of it.

I caught up to the rest of the gang, shocking them all. They cheered me on in a language that involved the dirty usage of mother and sister. I grinned, raising my hand in a thumbs up. “Your bhai did it!”

Thereafter, I continued to ride further, feeling victorious as I brushed past Shailesh and Atul's motorbikes. The roads inched narrower as we ascended the hill. My heartbeat rose. Even the air turned chillier and misty. Just then, I heard a loud horn behind me. I stole a quick glance at the side mirror to see a blue car, wanting to brush past me. I moved my bike aside to give space, inching towards the middle of the road.

Just then, I oversaw a white sedan car heading my way from the opposite side of the road at a considerable speed. That was the exact instant when the blue car passed by. Panic gripped my being like shards of ice till my neck. My knuckles went white and I froze. My mind blank. My hearing hollowed.

“Rithik, move!” Yash's thundering voice cut in sharp as the horn itself. His arms snaked under my left arm, slightly bending me aside and took reigns of the throttle. It was enough to get me out of my stupor. The voices returned. The mental fog cleared.

I took a grip of the bike handle again and parked it at the side of the road. I got off immediately and ran my sweaty hand over my face irritably while breathing heavily. I could hear my racing heartbeat through my mouth.

“I told you not to get ahead of yourself. Atleast pay heed to my advice for once, Rithik! We could have gotten ourselves in trouble.” Yash scolded, looking crossed.

Right then, Atul and Shailesh caught up. They took one look at me and the unmoving motorbike and started guffawing. Atul spoke first. “Haan, le liya swaad? Where's the josh now?”

“Tell you what bro, you should discard your driving licence 'cause it's beyond your capacity now. And your dream of riding a Thar.” Shailesh chided along.

“Shut it, you two! What shameless friends you are. If anything, he's progressing. He couldn't drive this far before....” Yash took my stance before I felt a hand on my shoulder. “You alright?”

My hand was clamped to my upper face. I was still catching my breath in slower beats. That horrid image wouldn't go away. My voice was rasped. “Yeah, I guess. Pass me the water... And I will drive a fucking Thar! You just wait and see.” I told Shailesh with determination.

Needless to say, I felt better after drinking and rinsing my face with water. The four of us resumed our journey with me sitting behind Yash. Again. I leaned my head against his back, blinking my weary eyelids. Just when my physical wounds healed, the psychological ones crept in. Great, just great!

A sense of humiliation crept in. I— Rithik Arora— someone who had been steering since the tender age of seventeen. Someone who was seldom afraid of anything in his life was suddenly chickened out by driving. Atleast I was able to drive a motorbike to some extent. I had practiced enough for the past months to reach this stage. But it still wasn't enough. And this was when I was yet to drive a car fully. I recalled how shitless I became when I sat in the driver seat by myself after the accident. I wasn't thinking about it, yet my body betrayed me by freezing in place. Anxiety gripped my gut, acting as if the scene itself would repeat again . Those haunting seconds right before an SUV crashed over, plummeting me and my car off the road. I squeezed my eyes shut on reflex.

I looked up at the sky, wondering if this was close to how Natasha felt during her panic episodes (I wasn't panicking but still). To feel a complete loss of autonomy over your body and mind. It must have been taxing I was sure. I felt a sudden empathy for her. Just how long she had been carrying that weight? What caused it exactly? It was something I never got to know.

I wonder how you're doing, Nat— No, no don't think about it. Not worth it.

I gritted my teeth in anger. Chuck it! This bloody fear was all because of Raj. Speaking of that scumbag, he was still nowhere to be found. A month ago, he was caught by the police and arrested, courtesy of the FIR lodged by my father. I didn't miss my chance to see his mughead face behind bars and mock the shit out of him, aggravating him. Too bad he was bailed out a week later by some shady contact. We arranged a court hearing but alas, he never showed up. The case was stuck in limbo ever since. Honestly, I didn't give a shit anymore. I had a load of other things to think about.

Like the upcoming interview with the marketing distributors of Zenetic Life.

~ ~ ~

“Hi. Aman this side. Please have a seat,” said Aman- a bearded broad-shouldered man in his kurta and jeans. We shook hands before settling down on the couch on either side. Our troop had long reached Mahabaleshwar and were currently in a cozy guesthouse/ hostel where the employees of Zenetic were taking shelter. Like us, they were on a trip, too, but open to connect with people like me.

I got aware about Zenetic through their protein shake I took. It was dope. The company was a sportswear and wellness lifestyle brand— producing both sportswear & accessories as well as wellness products including nutrition capsules & protein shakes. I’d applied there before, but never got any response. Then I got to know about their side scheme of earning commissioned profit by selling their wellness products to common folk.
More members, more gain. I registered myself and jumped into the bandwagon.

Through a humble word-of-mouth to an extensive network of people I knew, I managed a few hits. I earned profit money. I managed to sell it to more than twenty people within two months. Then one day, I received an email from the company, stating how they were impressed by my contribution within a short span of time and how they liked me to be a business development executive if I wanted. With a proper interview of course.

Which brought me here. Initially, I was to be interviewed in Mumbai but when I casually slipped on how I was planning to go to Mahabaleshwar, they told me to get interviewed with the marketing people there and also attend their workshop one time. Either they were weirdos or way too flexible.

“It says you had one year of experience in business development at an e-commerce startup. Oh, you also handled logistics for sometime. Impressive,” Aman said while reading my CV with mild interest. He gestured to take my cup of tea which was left untouched on the table while he took it with another free hand. I took it reluctantly. His gaze moved through the bottom of the page. “Hmm, why did you leave though? It sounded like a decent job.”

“I had an accident five months back. I was on bed rest for two months. I returned to the office in the third month, but it didn't feel the same to me anymore. I simply wanted to branch out and do something different,” I stated while threading my palms to a fist.

It was a half-truth, though. The company had already transferred most of my job responsibilities to an intern while I was bedridden. Fair enough! What wasn't fair was how they were still relying on the intern for most of the work while I sat in the office doing little to nothing. They indirectly rendered me useless because of the silly plaster I had on my left arm. Wasn't the rest of my body working just fine? Even the doc said I was fit to work, provided I didn't strain my left arm much.

With time, I heard rumors about my replacement through that intern's promotion. Funny how his promotional salary was still less than mine. So I simply fired myself before they could fire me. Puny bastards! I hoped their company tanked down the gutter. I even left them with bad reviews online.

Instead of sulking about being jobless, I redirected my focus on handling the SEO of the gaming website alongside my friends. The website started performing better. Though sometime later, I got distracted and flew to Boston for a fantastical reason.

Of course I wasn't a dick to share all of this personal information in an interview. I simply talked about my work responsibilities from my previous job, alongside the project I did during my MBA. In the end, Aman threw the old-age question of how to sell a product. In this case, a vitamin B-12 capsule. 

For this, I simply pitched the story of my accident. How I needed B12 and Omega 3 to deal with nerve pain and fatigue. How these supplements helped me recover faster and gain muscle strength than plain old medicine. Both supplements and the trendy sports products were meant to enhance life. Make us feel better about ourselves, in and out.

I also shed light from an emotional perspective, tying it with health benefits for us and old parents. Along with the need to complete our otherwise, unnatural diet.

The distributors were sold. I was selected as a business development executive of Zenetic Life.

*

During a collective dinner, Aman introduced me to his people who were responsible for the distribution and marketing of the brand. There were two guys and two girls. While I introduced them to Atul, Shailesh and Yash. Yash already had his engineering job while Atul had his banking one. Shailesh was a bit like me. He had his hands full with freelancing jobs of web designing including the gaming website we created together.

After a chatty dinner, I headed towards the porch of the guesthouse for a quick smoke. I was lost in my own calculative thoughts when I heard footsteps behind me.

“Rithik Arora, right?” A soft female voice spoke before she came into view by standing to my right. I simply blew the grey smoke off my mouth to the left side before facing her way. It was a tall woman with short hair reaching till her shoulders wearing a sweater and jeans.

“Yup, still Rithik when I checked last time,” I replied, making her chuckle. “You must be...?” My forehead creased as I tried to recall her name.

“Ankita Nair. I'm a cousin of Aman's. Distant cousin.” She introduced formally and we shook hands. Her gaze was directed to the burnt cigarette on my other hand. She paused for a bit before showing her own cigarette clasped between her fingers. “Do you, um, have a lighter?”

“Sure.” That was gutsy. I fished out a lighter from my pocket and offered it to her. She lit it and gave it back. We smoked in silence while standing at a considerable distance. I thought that was it until she appreciated the way I spoke during my interview. The conversation continued from then on, mainly revolving around the workings of Zenetic and how these products were manufactured and shipped. I was suddenly interested to know more.

It was still a far-fetched dream in my mind but in that dream, I was the sole owner of a sports and wellness brand. The one who built that start-up from scratch and thrived with money that he dreamt of. Something like the HRX brand by Hrithik Roshan. To reach that stage, I atleast had to know how they did their business behind the scenes. That was my only purpose to join this forsaken job.

Let's just hope I reached there one day like a true entrepreneur.

Hoped you loved reading about Rithik after a long, long time. Even Natasha- Rithik, although it was a flashback. Or are you still missing Kunal? What are your thoughts on the chapter? About Rithik in this personal and career-driven avatar? It's still in progress.

So this is like a mini arc. I fancily call it- The Rithik Mahabaleshwar arc (since it only takes place during this trip). Vote and Comment.