It Started With a Friend Request (2 page)

Relatives and friends gathered at their house the following evening for mocktails and dinner. Aleesha wanted the party to get over soon because she had to join her friends for another party. Aleesha’s dad was busy chatting with his friend Mr Kapoor about accommodation options for his daughter when Mr Kapoor suggested Aleesha could stay with his own daughter who was working in Mumbai.

‘Don’t worry. They say good people and opportunities meet when they are supposed to. As you know, my daughter Tamanna is also working in Mumbai. It just so happens that even Tamanna is looking for someone to share the apartment with. So Aleesha can stay with her, if you agree. I assure you, it will be a safe and secure home for Aleesha,’ Mr Kapoor suggested.

Without giving it a second thought, Aleesha’s parents agreed to let their daughter stay with Tamanna. They believed that staying with Tamanna would be the best possible option for Aleesha since they had known the Kapoors for almost a decade. Aleesha herself had wanted to stay alone so she could enjoy her freedom and the city nightlife. She had no option but to concede to her parent’s wishes. Also, she was in a hurry to leave for the late night house party. An argument there and then would have been a waste of time, which she wanted to avoid.

After all the after dinner formalities were over, Aleesha took their permission to go out with her friends and left with the promise that she will be back for yet another boring family bonding over drinks. She had been waiting for the late night party all evening. It was going to be the last time
she was going to meet her best buddies before setting off for Mumbai. After the party, she bid a final goodbye to them, and soon it was time to head for Mumbai.

‘Dad, I have just landed in Mumbai. Tamanna is waiting at the arrivals gate. I will call you back once I am settled,’ Aleesha spoke on the phone while bringing down her luggage from the conveyor belt.

After collecting her luggage, she headed eagerly towards the arrivals gate. She was searching for Tamanna when suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulders.

‘Tamanna Kapoor.’

‘Hey. I’ve been looking for you. What’s up?’ Aleesha asked with a broad smile on her face.

‘Let’s leave. The car is waiting. I have to get back to office,’ Tamanna said in a rush, choosing to ignore Aleesha’s pleasantries. Her cold behaviour made Aleesha feel awkward, but she recollected what her dad had told her, ‘Tamanna is an independent girl and doesn’t like too much interference in her personal life, though she is very active socially.’

They walked towards the car together. Within a few minutes, the car was cruising on Mumbai’s roads.

Aleesha was trying to soak in the city. She poked her head out of the car and let the breeze run through her hair. She closed her eyes as she felt the air on her face. The car halted abruptly at a red light and broke her spell. Tamanna instructed the driver to put on the AC. Aleesha glanced
sideways at Tamanna to find her busily working on her laptop. She told Aleesha that she had come to pick her up during office hours and being one of the managers in the office, she had to be on her toes, at least during office hours.

Aleesha wanted to stop the car near the seaside and watch the sunset, but she knew Tamanna was getting late. They finally reached Tamanna’s Churchgate apartment. It had two bedrooms, which made Aleesha sigh in relief since that meant she didn’t have to share her bedroom with Tamanna.

‘Aleesha, you can settle down. I have to leave for office. I will return around 8 pm in the evening. If you want something to eat, then there are some snacks in the fridge, or you can even place an order at the nearby snacks corner. Their menu card is kept on the dining table. Chal bye, I am leaving. Take care.’

Aleesha listened to all the instructions and nodded in agreement.

Lying on the bed, she could not believe that she was finally in Mumbai. She had a quick nap and then called up her parents. After unpacking, she couldn’t resist her urge to update a status on Facebook and connect with her friends back home whom she was missing already. She also updated her BBM status.

She dropped a message in the group chat.

I am extremely happy and super excited to be in the city of dreams. But feels like I have left a part of me in Kolkata. I miss baba, maa, and all you guys. Before this day, I never thought that a few hours of separation could
hurt so much. Miss you all. Suddenly I find myself thinking about my childhood and the time when I was learning to ride a bicycle. I fell and bruised myself several times but never gave up. You all used to tease me a lot and would make me cry until I stopped. Now I remember all the fun we had during Durga Puja. You all stood by me for so many years which made me strong from within. Here, there is no one yet but yes, if I get my prince charming here, I will surely let you know. Bye everyone. Miss me and if possible, go and see baba and maa. Love you all. Muaahhhhhh

It had been a week since her arrival, but with each passing day, Aleesha kept feeling more and more homesick. She still had couple of days before her college to start and all the admission formalities to be completed. It was Saturday evening and she had convinced Tamanna, who was still not very friendly, to take her for an outing. Surprisingly, Tamanna had agreed, which made Aleesha super excited as she was going to witness Mumbai’s nightlife for the first time. She looked in the mirror and thought of what to wear to the outing. She decided to wear a knee–length black one–piece dress with wooden bangles and minimal make up—a little lipgloss and black eyeliner.

On their way, Aleesha asked Tamanna, ‘Tamanna di, you must be used to nightlife of Mumbai by now, right?’ Aleesha was trying to be not so personal in her questions for she knew by now that Tamanna was a bit reserved.

‘Call me Tammy. And yes, I’ve been in Mumbai for a long time now. But from the last couple of years, if you exclude a few discos and food joints, everything shuts down before 2 am,’ Tamanna smiled.

It was perhaps the first time Tamanna had let her guard down in front of Aleesha. Her informality made Aleesha smile. She had made it clear to Aleesha from the first day itself that she was the reserved sorts and didn’t like anyone interfering in her personal life too much. So the reply from Tamanna came as a pleasant surprise to Aleesha.

Both of them had a ball during the outing, and spent some good time together at Malabar Hills. They then went to ‘The Pizzeria’ at Nariman Point for dinner. After dinner, Aleesha insisted they go for drinks at a nearby discotheque. Tamanna thought about it and decided to take Aleesha to the happening ‘Thrive’ disc in Colaba.

It was Saturday night and the disc was as crowded as the Virar local train. It was full of college students who came in to party late at night, already piss drunk. Those who say there is a certain age limit for drinking will find their perceptions tested once they enter this place. Thrive has an absolutely wannabe-ish crowd consisting mostly of students trying to get a roof to hide from their parents. A first-time visitor to the place will question if girls ever wear jeans or salwar kameez since all one could see was girls in mini-skirts and hot pants.

When Aleesha and Tamanna entered the disc, the scene was no different. It was a typical Thrive weekend night. Smoke filled the air and the teenagers were grooving madly to the latest songs being played by the DJ. Tamanna ordered
a drink for Aleesha and herself. Time flew, and soon both of them were three shots down.

Tamanna got a call from office and she excused herself and went outside, as it was impossible to answer the call with such loud music playing in the background. Aleesha was busy dancing and enjoying her drink when an unknown guy came up on the dance floor and started grooving right next to her. She didn’t really mind his proximity to her since she was enjoying herself too much to bother and was also under the influence of alcohol.

‘Hi. My name is…’ shouted the boy, trying his best to tell her his name over the loud music.

But Aleesha couldn’t hear a word of what he was saying. Plus, the song being played was her favourite Honey Singh number.

‘Is this your first time here? I’m quite a regular here and I’ve never seen you before.’

‘Dude, this style of flirting and starting a conversation is so ancient. Don’t try it on me,’ Aleesha retorted.

‘So you like modern, “Yo-type” guys? Then let me ask you directly—which drink should I get you Miss… May I know your name please? I am…’ He was about to say his name when Aleesha interrupted him.

For a moment, they both stared each other and didn’t spoke a word. He kept thinking what Aleesha would say. He didn’t want to miss the chance of introducing himself to, who he thought, was the most gorgeous girl present in the disc. Her black sequinned dress was shining in the dim disco lights and her skin glowing like a star. Her eyes had that sparkle which was enough to seduce anyone. He
already was. He couldn’t even utter his own name after Aleesha interrupted him. He just kept staring at her. His name was…

Akash

‘N
ow that’s what’s called a perfect strike!’ Akash exclaimed jumping in the air as he took the lead in the game.

He needed to strike one more pin to win. Akash was a bowling expert in nine-pins. He had won many times before this and was confident that it would be no different that day.

Akash approached the lane taking a 15-pound bowling ball in his right hand. Focussed entirely at the pins in front of him, he released the ball carefully. As the ball touched the pins, he held his breath.

*Bang*
All nine pins went down in one go!

He had won the game, which meant he had won two entry passes to a disc, and that too on a Saturday night.

‘It’s time to check out some hot girls tonight at the disc. It’s going to be one happening night, Aditya. Woohoo!’ Akash’s excitement was at its peak.

I was equally pepped up and pounced on him in excitement.

Akash was a Mumbaikar who lived
for
and
with
his family. He was working with the RS group, a company located near Oshiwara in Jogeshwari. He had a charming personality and his dimples would make the girls go crazy. His good sense of humour and style always made him a favourite among his friends. Girls especially liked him for he was a very good cook. He was very caring and possessive about his closed ones and extremely polite in nature. Everyone wondered how a guy like him was single. However, the truth was that after his break up six years ago, he had simply decided to concentrate on his career. I was probably his only best friend and he shared everything with me, including the girls whom he fantasized. Akash was a party freak and was all geared up for that night after winning passes to Thrive.