Pratap was checking and rechecking everything around the house for the umpteenth time. He was usually the one who kept his things in a mess, but that day everything had to be prim and proper. He checked himself in the mirror again. The black shirt teamed with the blue jeans could melt hearts in school. But Roshni? She would just laugh at his messy hair that refused to sit with the hair gel or tell him how many pictures he has in that shirt.
It had been a month since they met, and their friendship had gotten better with each passing day. He went to her place often and, sometimes to his dismay, Phool accompanied them too, to enjoy Hansa Mausi's awesome cooking. He had noticed Roshni secretly smile, amused, every time Phool caught him off guard and tried to flirt. He had looked into Roshni's eyes more than once, asking for help, begging her to take Phool away. And she did because she knew what a pain her friend could be to people who didn't know her, but she knew and reminded him often how Phool had a heart as pure as hers since childhood. Her name and beauty came with a little vanity, but not to people who mattered to her, not to Roshni.
He neatly made his bed and placed the cushions. Jaivanta saw him do that more than once that day. She smiled as she entered the room. " I have never seen you clean your room before, let alone make your bed one or two times!" She smiled, amused.
Pratap was caught off guard, " No, actually, we are having guests, so..."
" Guests? Pratap, we have parties every other weekend, and you don't even care to meet half the people there, and today you are arranging your room for two guests?" Her voice had a hint of taunt as she smiled and left.
What are you doing, Pratap? he thought to himself. Then fear struck him. If his mother and Daadi could make out his feelings, could Roshni too....??
The bell rang, and in his hurry, his phone fell from his hand, and the Cover, battery and screen scattered in different directions. Jaivanta opened the door to welcome the guests, followed by Dadi. He was picking up the pieces, as he could hear people greet each other in the hallway, when he noticed a pair of golden heels walk in. He looked up from behind his mother, and he could see a glimpse of her purple dress. He got up with the three pieces in hand. Jaivanta and Hansa hugged each other.
" I am Pratap's Daadi," the old woman said with a smile at Hansa, who folded her hands. Roshni stepped forward and touched her feet, followed by Hansa.
" Touching my feet? A hug would have been better, Beta!" Jaivanta and Hansa smiled as Dadi hugged Roshni.
" Whatever the reasons might be, we should not stop taking the little blessings we can from our adult Dadi," Roshni replied promptly. Her reply clearly impressed Dadi.
" See Pratap, this is sanskaar!" His name startled him back to reality as he nodded. "Learn something!"
All through this time, he was standing behind the ladies and eyeing Roshni; he could not get his eyes off her! Her Purple dress, her open hair, junk jewellery and minimal makeup made her look so different. The simple girl in school seemed to be the most beautiful one on the planet now.
" Pratap, take Roshni to your room and show her around. Hansa, please come with me." Jaivanta left for the next room, followed by Hansa and Dadi. Roshni silently followed Pratap to his well-lit, lavish room, with a master bed, couch, attached bath and balcony, and well furnished with a wardrobe, dressing table and an LED TV hanging on the wall. There were pictures too, with various trophies he had won on the study table in the corner. " Make yourself comfy." Pratap broke the awkward silence as he patted the bed, indicating for her to sit. " I will get myself a chair."
" No, wait, sit here. " She pointed at the other corner of the bed. Pratap stopped and looked at her. Dark Brown Eyes. Stop thinking! He told himself. Meanwhile, she had inspected his trophies and headed for the balcony.
" Wait, the AC is on, shut the door!" His words fell on deaf ears. She stepped outside, on the open-air balcony, on the 15th floor, enjoying the cool breeze and the view! Her hair blew in the wind to his face as he walked up behind her; the smell of her shampoo mesmerised him. Unaware of his presence behind her, she was lost in her thoughts, smiling down at the view, her face gentle, calm and ever so beautiful. His phone rang! It startled her as she turned around to face him. The gap between them was too small, so she moved away. Damn, this phone! Pratap thought irritated as the name flashed VISHAL.
" Excuse me." He went inside. She took out her phone and took a selfie. " Phool will be so happy to see this. I can't wait to tell her I was in Pratap's room and how things are." She was about to ping Phool when the door slid and he came out.
" I... Er... A friend is coming over..." Pratap fumbled.
" Should I go sit with Maa?" Roshni asked politely.
" No. No... No..." came a clear reply. " He is just from my building. He... er... knows you."
" Knows me?" Roshni was surprised. " How?"
" He saw you with Phool at one of her birthday parties."
" Oh... " Roshni shrugged "Who is it?"
" Actually, his name is Vishal and... umm... he wants your help..." Pratap spoke sheepishly.
" My help??" Roshni looked taken aback. The knock at the bedroom door interrupted their conversation.
" Come In!" Pratap knew it was Vishal. He had been eating his head about meeting Roshni for too long. They went into the room from the balcony as the door opened. A guy stood tall, in a red t-shirt, and a smile appeared on his face seeing Pratap.
" This is Roshni." " Hi. Am Vishal."
" Hi." Roshni was sure that his face did look familiar, but she had never spoken to him.
" So, Pratap must have told you what help I need?" Roshni looked confused and shook her head.
" Please sit down and talk", Pratap interrupted. Vishal and Pratap sat together on one end of the bed while Roshni sat facing them on the other end.
" No, he was going to when you came in. How can I be of help?" Roshni smiled politely.
Vishal and Pratap exchanged a look.
" You see, I like Phool, I mean, I really like her... Love her... and no one knows her better than you...." Vishal stopped at her gasp.
" Love Phool? You are Vishal from her art class, aren't you?" Roshni asked, shocked.
" Yes, she told you?" He seemed pleased. Only if he knew how Phool described him as the "Crazy guy who was after her", Roshni gulped.
" It's okay if you can't help, it's fine..." Pratap interrupted, seeing her uncomfortable face.
" No, it's not that, I can arrange a meeting or so... But..." Roshni started thinking.
" But what?" Vishal was impatient!
" She... umm... likes someone... " Roshni felt awkward.
" Who?" The boys asked in unison!
" Rohan."
" What?" Pratap was in shock! He thought Phool liked him, not he was amazed by the fact. Now it all made sense, why she made friends with him and tried to get close to Rohan or even make him feel jealous. He was in a way relieved. Now, he laughed. Rohan? His friend Rohan? Immaturity meets Immaturity, that would mean!
"But she can date you if she likes you. Let me see what I can do!" Roshni was quick to reassure Vishal, whose eyes sparkled with hope.
" Thank you, Roshni, you are a darling!" Vishal came to hug her in his happiness and took her by surprise. Pratap intervened in between and hugged him, " It's okay, bro, we are with you." Roshni laughed at them. Together, the three of them hatched a plan, " Mission PhoShal" The name was Pratap's idea, and Roshni laughed and laughed till she was out of breath and crying. He watched her with a smile. He loved to see her laugh like that. Vishal noticed him staring at her.
It was time for Roshni to leave, but before leaving, she created a WhatsApp group of the trio for the mission. He went down to see her off and stood there as she got in a taxi and rode off. Vishal went home pleased. Pratap came into the apartment and saw his mother and Dadi waiting.
" I like that girl!" Dadi concluded.
" Me too!" Jaivanta smiled.
They both looked at Pratap. " I am tired, I should sleep a little." He shook his head. He was about to shut his bedroom door when Dadi said, " Propose to her." " What?" He stood there frozen.
" You heard me, tell her what you feel." Dadi smiled.
" Dadi, I feel nothing, now let me sleep!" He looked annoyed and shut the door and opened his WhatsApp.
" Home?"
" Yes."
" :) Great! So what about the mission?"
" I will talk to Phool, I will tell you in school tomorrow!"
The next day, he arrived at school much before everyone else and found that she was still not there. He stood at the staircase waiting, and finally, she entered the building. Alone, thank god. He rushed to meet her. She gave a smile, " Good Morning!"
" So what about the mission?"
" Phool is ready for one outing, but she has a condition."
" What?"
" We... um... I have to go with her." Roshni bit her tongue. Phool actually wanted her to go, but she wanted to tell him to go too.
" What will you do in between them? I will go to keep you company then." Pratap was quick to suggest.
A smile appeared on her face as she looked at him, and he smiled back and nodded.
" Today, 6PM at Barista," Roshni said quickly as she saw Phool arrive with a wave.
Phool was about to take her seat in the middle when, much to his surprise, Roshni interrupted, " Can I sit there? I have something to talk about with him!" He smiled in relief. Phool looked at the two and said without a thought, " You two have been talking a lot lately... Do you two like... like each other?" Both of them turned red as Phool waited for her answer. " Phool, you talk too much and think too little!" Roshni quipped as Pratap fought to hold his laugh at that. As she sat, their hands brushed against each other, and they said " Sorry" in unison! " Thanks for saving me from a drama queen!" Pratap whispered. " You are welcome." Roshni smiled at him.
In their thoughts, they were still thinking about what awaited in the evening, the date of Vishal and Phool had them more excited than the people concerned. It was their first outing together. Lost in their thought, they unknowingly looked at each other and smiled as the teacher continued her lecture on "Chemistry".
It had been a month since they met, and their friendship had gotten better with each passing day. He went to her place often and, sometimes to his dismay, Phool accompanied them too, to enjoy Hansa Mausi's awesome cooking. He had noticed Roshni secretly smile, amused, every time Phool caught him off guard and tried to flirt. He had looked into Roshni's eyes more than once, asking for help, begging her to take Phool away. And she did because she knew what a pain her friend could be to people who didn't know her, but she knew and reminded him often how Phool had a heart as pure as hers since childhood. Her name and beauty came with a little vanity, but not to people who mattered to her, not to Roshni.
He neatly made his bed and placed the cushions. Jaivanta saw him do that more than once that day. She smiled as she entered the room. " I have never seen you clean your room before, let alone make your bed one or two times!" She smiled, amused.
Pratap was caught off guard, " No, actually, we are having guests, so..."
" Guests? Pratap, we have parties every other weekend, and you don't even care to meet half the people there, and today you are arranging your room for two guests?" Her voice had a hint of taunt as she smiled and left.
What are you doing, Pratap? he thought to himself. Then fear struck him. If his mother and Daadi could make out his feelings, could Roshni too....??
The bell rang, and in his hurry, his phone fell from his hand, and the Cover, battery and screen scattered in different directions. Jaivanta opened the door to welcome the guests, followed by Dadi. He was picking up the pieces, as he could hear people greet each other in the hallway, when he noticed a pair of golden heels walk in. He looked up from behind his mother, and he could see a glimpse of her purple dress. He got up with the three pieces in hand. Jaivanta and Hansa hugged each other.
" I am Pratap's Daadi," the old woman said with a smile at Hansa, who folded her hands. Roshni stepped forward and touched her feet, followed by Hansa.
" Touching my feet? A hug would have been better, Beta!" Jaivanta and Hansa smiled as Dadi hugged Roshni.
" Whatever the reasons might be, we should not stop taking the little blessings we can from our adult Dadi," Roshni replied promptly. Her reply clearly impressed Dadi.
" See Pratap, this is sanskaar!" His name startled him back to reality as he nodded. "Learn something!"
All through this time, he was standing behind the ladies and eyeing Roshni; he could not get his eyes off her! Her Purple dress, her open hair, junk jewellery and minimal makeup made her look so different. The simple girl in school seemed to be the most beautiful one on the planet now.
" Pratap, take Roshni to your room and show her around. Hansa, please come with me." Jaivanta left for the next room, followed by Hansa and Dadi. Roshni silently followed Pratap to his well-lit, lavish room, with a master bed, couch, attached bath and balcony, and well furnished with a wardrobe, dressing table and an LED TV hanging on the wall. There were pictures too, with various trophies he had won on the study table in the corner. " Make yourself comfy." Pratap broke the awkward silence as he patted the bed, indicating for her to sit. " I will get myself a chair."
" No, wait, sit here. " She pointed at the other corner of the bed. Pratap stopped and looked at her. Dark Brown Eyes. Stop thinking! He told himself. Meanwhile, she had inspected his trophies and headed for the balcony.
" Wait, the AC is on, shut the door!" His words fell on deaf ears. She stepped outside, on the open-air balcony, on the 15th floor, enjoying the cool breeze and the view! Her hair blew in the wind to his face as he walked up behind her; the smell of her shampoo mesmerised him. Unaware of his presence behind her, she was lost in her thoughts, smiling down at the view, her face gentle, calm and ever so beautiful. His phone rang! It startled her as she turned around to face him. The gap between them was too small, so she moved away. Damn, this phone! Pratap thought irritated as the name flashed VISHAL.
" Excuse me." He went inside. She took out her phone and took a selfie. " Phool will be so happy to see this. I can't wait to tell her I was in Pratap's room and how things are." She was about to ping Phool when the door slid and he came out.
" I... Er... A friend is coming over..." Pratap fumbled.
" Should I go sit with Maa?" Roshni asked politely.
" No. No... No..." came a clear reply. " He is just from my building. He... er... knows you."
" Knows me?" Roshni was surprised. " How?"
" He saw you with Phool at one of her birthday parties."
" Oh... " Roshni shrugged "Who is it?"
" Actually, his name is Vishal and... umm... he wants your help..." Pratap spoke sheepishly.
" My help??" Roshni looked taken aback. The knock at the bedroom door interrupted their conversation.
" Come In!" Pratap knew it was Vishal. He had been eating his head about meeting Roshni for too long. They went into the room from the balcony as the door opened. A guy stood tall, in a red t-shirt, and a smile appeared on his face seeing Pratap.
" This is Roshni." " Hi. Am Vishal."
" Hi." Roshni was sure that his face did look familiar, but she had never spoken to him.
" So, Pratap must have told you what help I need?" Roshni looked confused and shook her head.
" Please sit down and talk", Pratap interrupted. Vishal and Pratap sat together on one end of the bed while Roshni sat facing them on the other end.
" No, he was going to when you came in. How can I be of help?" Roshni smiled politely.
Vishal and Pratap exchanged a look.
" You see, I like Phool, I mean, I really like her... Love her... and no one knows her better than you...." Vishal stopped at her gasp.
" Love Phool? You are Vishal from her art class, aren't you?" Roshni asked, shocked.
" Yes, she told you?" He seemed pleased. Only if he knew how Phool described him as the "Crazy guy who was after her", Roshni gulped.
" It's okay if you can't help, it's fine..." Pratap interrupted, seeing her uncomfortable face.
" No, it's not that, I can arrange a meeting or so... But..." Roshni started thinking.
" But what?" Vishal was impatient!
" She... umm... likes someone... " Roshni felt awkward.
" Who?" The boys asked in unison!
" Rohan."
" What?" Pratap was in shock! He thought Phool liked him, not he was amazed by the fact. Now it all made sense, why she made friends with him and tried to get close to Rohan or even make him feel jealous. He was in a way relieved. Now, he laughed. Rohan? His friend Rohan? Immaturity meets Immaturity, that would mean!
"But she can date you if she likes you. Let me see what I can do!" Roshni was quick to reassure Vishal, whose eyes sparkled with hope.
" Thank you, Roshni, you are a darling!" Vishal came to hug her in his happiness and took her by surprise. Pratap intervened in between and hugged him, " It's okay, bro, we are with you." Roshni laughed at them. Together, the three of them hatched a plan, " Mission PhoShal" The name was Pratap's idea, and Roshni laughed and laughed till she was out of breath and crying. He watched her with a smile. He loved to see her laugh like that. Vishal noticed him staring at her.
It was time for Roshni to leave, but before leaving, she created a WhatsApp group of the trio for the mission. He went down to see her off and stood there as she got in a taxi and rode off. Vishal went home pleased. Pratap came into the apartment and saw his mother and Dadi waiting.
" I like that girl!" Dadi concluded.
" Me too!" Jaivanta smiled.
They both looked at Pratap. " I am tired, I should sleep a little." He shook his head. He was about to shut his bedroom door when Dadi said, " Propose to her." " What?" He stood there frozen.
" You heard me, tell her what you feel." Dadi smiled.
" Dadi, I feel nothing, now let me sleep!" He looked annoyed and shut the door and opened his WhatsApp.
" Home?"
" Yes."
" :) Great! So what about the mission?"
" I will talk to Phool, I will tell you in school tomorrow!"
The next day, he arrived at school much before everyone else and found that she was still not there. He stood at the staircase waiting, and finally, she entered the building. Alone, thank god. He rushed to meet her. She gave a smile, " Good Morning!"
" So what about the mission?"
" Phool is ready for one outing, but she has a condition."
" What?"
" We... um... I have to go with her." Roshni bit her tongue. Phool actually wanted her to go, but she wanted to tell him to go too.
" What will you do in between them? I will go to keep you company then." Pratap was quick to suggest.
A smile appeared on her face as she looked at him, and he smiled back and nodded.
" Today, 6PM at Barista," Roshni said quickly as she saw Phool arrive with a wave.
Phool was about to take her seat in the middle when, much to his surprise, Roshni interrupted, " Can I sit there? I have something to talk about with him!" He smiled in relief. Phool looked at the two and said without a thought, " You two have been talking a lot lately... Do you two like... like each other?" Both of them turned red as Phool waited for her answer. " Phool, you talk too much and think too little!" Roshni quipped as Pratap fought to hold his laugh at that. As she sat, their hands brushed against each other, and they said " Sorry" in unison! " Thanks for saving me from a drama queen!" Pratap whispered. " You are welcome." Roshni smiled at him.
In their thoughts, they were still thinking about what awaited in the evening, the date of Vishal and Phool had them more excited than the people concerned. It was their first outing together. Lost in their thought, they unknowingly looked at each other and smiled as the teacher continued her lecture on "Chemistry".
