The Conversation - 3

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***

 "So, do you have any crush in the past or at present?"

Without thinking about the consequences, Rohan replied, "Yeah... you know, just some actresses I can list."

"Nope. I am asking about people you talk to - some of your friends, neighbors like that?" replied Apoorva.

Rohan's heartbeat skipped for a few seconds. He was forced to think about the situation that he did not expect to occur. The two seconds he spent thinking of the best reply felt like ages.

"No, Nope. No one, actually", Rohan tried to appear as normal as possible.

"Okay, cool."

"Err... What about you? Do you have any crushes?"

"Ha-ha, no, I also don't have."

She was right. Her marriage was an arranged one and also a good one. A rare combination. Lucky her.

***

"Hey! What are you thinking? Are you sweating?" asked Ridhi.

"Oh, me? Nope. It reminded me of a person who asked the same question", replied Rohan.

"Is it? Must be special, huh?"

"Yeah."

"So, what was your reply?"

"I said, No one."

"Was your answer true?"

"What do you mean?"

"The feeling for your crush, Was it just an attraction?"

He smiled at the question. Swift and straight to the point.

He did not remember when and why he started talking with Apoorva. Even though he had come to know that he would miss her, he continued the talk. He shared everything about himself and made all the bad jokes. He wanted to talk more, to spend more time, to make her a part of his life, a part he could cherish, without guilt.

"It was, and is, beyond attraction. I respect her. I have great memories which I can never forget."

"Cool, seems like you have a great friend. Okay, it's your turn. Do you want to know anything about me? Feel free to ask questions, and I feel free to choose to answer or not."

Right. Rohan had been sitting straight and attentive as if he were appearing in an interview. He relaxed a bit and started to get comfortable with her.

He thought of asking many things. He was worried whether time would be sufficient. When he finally tried to make a sound - Ridhi's phone rang.

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah, sure."

She lifted the call.

"Hey hai.." Her face beamed with the brightest smile possible.

She continued. "Did you remember me after all these days?"

She laughed. "Really? Now?"

She checked her watch. She thought about something for a while.

"Okay, will be there." She cut the call.

Rohan had understood what was going to happen. He just waited for confirmation from her.

"Sorry, Rohan. It's my best friend. She has just arrived in the city to surprise me, it seems. I have been missing her very much."

"Yeah, how can they be best friends if we don't miss them? I can understand."

"Great then, if you don't mind, can we complete this conversation later? I will message you about our next meeting. Okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Have a great time!"

"Thank you.."

She left the hotel. 'She was interesting', Rohan told himself.

***

By the time she had reached home, Ridhi's best friend was already present.

"Hey, you are seeing a guy and you did not tell me till now?" her friend was upset with Ridhi.

"No yaar, it was not that serious. I thought it was refreshing to go outside amid the chaos of the office work."

They quickly cuddled each other. "I miss you", both said in sync.

Ridhi's father had come from inside, anxiously.

"How did the meet go, dear?"

"Yeah, Ridhi, how it went? Did I interrupt in between?"

"Hey, stop that. Well, he was interesting. Have to meet again", Ridhi chuckled.

***

"Ohh, interesting? Nice bro! Seems like good progress", said Abha.

"Come on sis, this is just the first meet."

"But you both will meet again right?"

"She said so."

"Are you blushing?"

"No sis, can you just change the topic? I feel awkward."

"Oh is it? Well, can I tell what she said about you to her parents?"

"Yeah, what she said?"

"No bro, I don't do anything that makes you awkward. Let me change the topic. So how was your work day?"

'She never changes', he smiled.

***

Rohan woke up at the alarm and saw a message notification on his mobile.

It was Apoorva. He startled.

'What?' He rubbed his eyes and read it again.

It was from Ridhi. He relaxed.

"I have a relative's marriage today. Can we meet there, if it's okay for you?" she said.

He replied. "Sure."

He freshened up and started for the office. Around noon, Ridhi sent the location of the function hall.

 ***

He arrived at the function hall. It was grand with an arch of lights at the entrance. The bright lights were trying hard to eliminate the darkness of night. He was slowing down while entering the hall, or the time was being slowed - he could not tell the difference. The wedding scene was visible from the entrance door.

He had messaged Ridhi about where to meet in this huge place but did not get a reply yet. He decided to sit in the last row of the chairs and tried to search for Ridhi in the crowd visible in front.

The hall represented the best cocktail of emotions.

Kids, of course, did not know what was happening. They just knew that marriages were a great way to play as hard as possible, similar to birthdays.

But some of them were crying due to unknown reasons and the parents were trying hard to calm them down.

The unmarried were envious of the couple and were dreaming about their partner.

But some of them felt pity and were happy that they weren't married.

The newly married were blushing and remembering their wedding days.

But some of them felt regret for compromising themselves because of the family.

The elders were stopping everyone above the age of 20 and trying to fix an alliance between the unmarried pairs present in the hall.

But some of them did not like the modern setup of marriages, the loud sounds and strong lights striking their ears and eyes.

Every person would fit into their unique category - who complains about things, who spreads gossip, who feels suffocated, or who tries to meet a girl for the second time without knowing what is going to happen.

A tap on his right shoulder brought Rohan out of his thoughts.

"So, how were the people?", asked Ridhi, standing beside him.

**End of Part 3**

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