" Oh!" Roshni sat down, throwing the clip on the Bed.
" What's wrong?" Phool stopped her makeup brush and asked.
" What to do with my hair?" She shrugged.
" You need a haircut," Phool suggested.
" I mean now!" Roshni had never shouted this way at Phool before. She looked a little wide-eyed.
" Ohh, tie it up, let it loose, whatever." Phool shrugged and went back to applying lip gloss.
A ring of the bell and Phool's servant came to inform, "Phool Baby Ji Gari taiyar hai."
" Okay, hurry up, Roshni, it is already 6.15."
" Oh no, we are late", Roshni brushed her hair vigorously!
" Calm down. It is one of the million dates I go to, no big deal... " Phool stopped pacing. " Wait a minute, you want to impress Pratap, do you?"
" What?" Roshni was caught, and she turned red, " No, of course not!"
"Yes, yes, that's it, Oh, Roshni, am so happy!" Phool hugged her in joy.
" Please don't tell him I like him." There was a tone of guilt in Roshni's voice.
Pratap and Vishal sat on a four-seater corner sofa of the well-decorated cafe. Vishal was growing impatient, looking at the watch and the door; it was already 6.45. What if she didn't turn up? Pratap was wearing a red T-shirt and a black half jacket over his blue jeans. His heart pounded fast; he didn't know why. Even ordering a cold coffee couldn't calm him down. He gulped at it, yet it seemed to get stuck in his throat. The door opened, and Vishal got up in a hurry, spilling his coffee on the table.
" Stupid!" Phool murmured to Roshni. Roshni stepped in, and the air blew her hair from the sides to her back. She looked up and saw Vishal standing with a shameless smile, Phool greeting him in awkwardness, and Pratap instructing the waiter to clean the table. He finished his instruction and looked up at her. A smile appeared on both faces, and the pounding of hearts increased.
He came up to take her to the table.
" He's a mess." He whispered to Roshni, indicating Vishal.
" Many guys are like that with Phool around." She giggled. Pratap stopped to stare at her.
" Your orders, sir!" the waiter asked.
" I will have a fat-free latte, no sugar, please." Phool was always health-conscious.
Vishal looked at her and said, " Me too, Same!"
" I will have a chocolate dark passion ice cream." Taken aback, Pratap and Roshni looked at each other.
" So I will make that two?" The waiter smiled.
" Yes, please!" Nodded Pratap.
Now Phool was busy flirting with Vishal, uncomfortable at first, but later in the evening, Phool began to enjoy his company.
They laughed and giggled as Roshni told Pratap, " I think they like each other."
Pratap smiled, " Mission accomplished?"
It was already 8pm, and time to go home. Roshni got up worried; she was supposed to be home by 8, and her mother would surely scold her.
Phool was least bothered as she declared, "I'm going for a drive with Vishu in my car!"
" But... But... who will take me home?"
" Pratap, of course!" Vishal pointed at him.
" No... No... I will get an auto." She got up to leave after the couple.
" Hey, wait!" Pratap grabbed her wrist. " I can drop you, it's no issue!" She turned around as he got up, her wrist still in his hands, the smell of his perfume was magical as ever. She stared into his deep, dark eyes, and in a second she realised he was holding her hand. He let it go.
"Let's go." He pointed at the door as she followed him out. Not a word was exchanged in the car as it drove up to her house; her wrist still felt hot from his touch, it seemed. She looked out of the window, determined not to look at him. He did so on the other side, scared that she might not have liked his touch.
" Thank You." She said, getting out of the car.
" Is That Pratap?" Her mother called out from the balcony. " Please come in, Beta."
" Not today, Aunty!" he said with a smile. Definitely not today!
Hansa was not a woman to listen to his excuses. She took him inside, tempting him with some chocolate brownie she had made. Roshni's father was home, and Hansa introduced them, " Ram, this is Pratap, Roshni's classmate and Jaivanta's son."
" Hello, sir." He touched his feet.
" Roshni, take him to your room." Pratap followed her to the pink room, decorated with soft toys and pink curtains. A picture hung on the wall, of her and her mother.
" Can I ask you something?" She said in a low voice as he sat down on her bed.
" Yes, of course." Hansa interrupted with a plateful of sinful brownies. " Enjoy!" She said with a smile and left.
Putting a spoonful in his mouth, he said, " You were asking?"
" Aunty... Your mother told mine about your father..." She stopped to look at him. He had stopped eating and looked at her, a little irked. " I don't like to talk of him, Roshni," came a stern reply.
" I think you should... umm... help Aunty...."
" Help?" He gave a sarcastic laugh. " Who needs my help? Who needs me anyway?"
" She does."
" No, they have never ever cared about me, my feelings or my life. "
" That is not true." Roshni frowned in protest.
" What do you know? Do you know how it feels when they fight and shout and call each other names? I have sat in a dark room witnessing this since I was five. Do you know how it feels if your parents call you their mistake?" His eyes filled up as he stepped toward her. She moved back and found herself pinned against the wall.
" Don't you dare say you know this feeling because you don't". He fought back his tears. He realised he was too close to her. Her heavy breath could be felt near his chin. He moved away. "I am sorry."
" No, I am not saying I know how you feel. I am saying your parents love each other, they love you, there must be some misunderstandings that you can help them solve."
" Love? I don't believe in it! It doesn't exist. " He was too angry. She was shocked. She thought he meant it for them. Her voice shook as she asked, " You don't believe in love?" Her sad voice made him realise what he had done.
Damn it, I didn't mean... " Roshni, I... I meant..."
" Go home, Pratap, it's getting late, and I'm sorry I was only trying to help. " She replied in a stone-cold voice before leaving the room. " Listen, I can explain...." His voice went unheard.
He bid goodbye to her parents and stood on her porch. While getting into the car, he looked up at the balcony, and a smile appeared on his face. There she was, standing, looking down at him leave. He waved goodbye. She nodded as the car rushed out of their porch to the main road.
