It Started With a Friend Request (5 page)

Aleesha:
Nope. Get over it dude
.

Akash:
Oh come on, I am asking you out just for a coffee. You’re reacting as if am asking you out on a date.

Aleesha:
Byeeeee
.

Akash:
Atleast gimme your number so that I can call you.

Aleesha:
I said byeeeee. :D

Akash still tried his best to convince her and continued to chat with her for next couple of hours. He finally managed to convince her for a cup of coffee. He knew she was not going to turn him down and was just being a little difficult like all girls are initially. After all, she knew that Akash would keep on trying until she agreed. It happened exactly the way
he wanted. Though they didn’t exchange their numbers, they finally decided to meet at CCD in the evening.

‘Are you crazy? You mean she really agreed to meet you? Cut the crap. Either she was still hung over from last night, or you are a fool to think she cares. Do you think you’re Salman Khan that she has agreed to meet you in such a short span of time? Or do you think I am a fool with a big C written on my forehead?’ I reacted when he told me the whole story since I felt Akash was bluffing.

‘Aadi, shut up. I am serious. You think I am joking? Not at all, yaar. I managed to convince her to meet me for coffee. That’s it. I have also told her that my friend Aditya will join us,’ Akash said in a very soft tone, as he knew I would burst out in anger after that.

‘Akash have you lost it? Or do you want another beer to regain normalcy? Why do you need me there? What am I going to do? Should I eat ice cream while you give her a smooch?’ I said wanting to almost bang my head on the table.

Akash had done all that he had never done in his life in the last 24 hours. It was the effect of a girl who had hardly met him. I so wanted to straighten his pants so he could stop all this. But according to him, he was ‘in love’.

‘Aadi, be serious. Guess what? I have also decided to express my feelings to her. That’s why I want you to be my moral support there. Please Aadi. Trust me. I am serious. Have you ever seen me talking about any girl in the past
few years?’ Akash said trying to change my opinion.

‘Akash, enough! I mean, are you telling me that even though it’s hardly been a few minutes since you met her, you’re in love with her and are planning to propose to her? How could you be such a despo? Think practically for once—you hardly know each other and you expect her to say “I love you too”. What if she doesn’t turn up?’ I screamed in frustration.

I was trying to bring Akash back to the real world. But I failed. Akash had forced me to change my mind and agree with what he was saying. As they say, a person loses himself in love and never thinks about what will happen in the end. He was taking Mother Teresa’s saying ‘If you judge people, you have no time to love them’ way too seriously.

‘Every girl loves it when she is treated like a princess. Why don’t you propose to her in the same way I proposed Riya? I am sure she will love it,’ I winked.

He gave me a not so pleasant smile and warned me to be there on time. His nervousness was so visible by the way he was scripting his proposal. He had planned what to speak and how. All I could do was to keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best outcome that evening.

A lot can happen over a cup of coffee. I wished that ‘lot’ would work out for Akash and Aleesha. But I knew things could go either way. It was 5.30 pm. Akash’s nervousness had made me fear the worst for him. As a friend, I wanted Akash to make a good impression on Aleesha.

‘Aadi, I am so nervous. I don’t think I can do it. Just by uttering her name, my heart starts beating at an abnormal pace’ He was almost shivering.

He had worn a white T-shirt and blue denims. He looked extremely charming in the attire. His gelled hair completed the look, but his nervousness overshadowed everything else.

‘Be brave. Be a man! You are the king of this world. You are just three words away from your dream girl,’ I tried to console him while on the way to the destination in the car.

Neither of us had managed to smoke on the way. We both soon reached the CCD outlet on Marine Drive. We parked the car and walked towards the coffee house. I kept on bugging him to message her on BBM to confirm whether she was coming or not since he did not have her cell number.

‘Have some patience. Here I am extremely nervous and you are fucking my brain out. I have just messaged her on BBM, okay?’ Akash shouted.

We sat in CCD and ordered two sandwiches. I was about to take my first bite when I looked at Akash. He seemed as nervous as I was some years back when I was about to propose to my love, Riya. Back then I didn’t have the guts to speak my heart out and needed someone to push me. Though I was courageous enough to actually bend down on my knees and express my love, I knew how I felt at that time. All the powers from the entire universe had come together to help me express my love. Akash needed the same power today. I had never seen him so cautious and nervous. He had not chased any girl in the last few years and had solely concentrated on his career. It was in these last few hours that he had actually lost himself. His expressions, body language, nervousness, and his eyes expressed everything. I just smiled. I was happy that he really liked someone and wished that even Aleesha liked him as much.

It had been almost an hour but Aleesha had still not turned up. When I asked Akash, he said that the messages hadn’t reached her on BBM yet.

‘Yaar, I had told you to take her cell number. How can you be so foolish, Akash? How could you trust someone so much? Don’t be so innocent bro. I am sorry but I don’t think she will come now.’

‘She can’t do this to me. So what if we met for just a couple of minutes? The spark that I saw in her eyes was real. I could tell by the way she messaged me that she wasn’t faking it. She likes me. Otherwise she would have ignored my messages and would have never agreed to meet me. I can’t be wrong, Aadi. There must be some problem,’ he said in a dejected tone.

I got up from the couch and gave him a tight hug to make him feel better, all the while wishing that Aleesha would message or call him. We waited and then walked to the parking area and drove back to our respective homes.

Akash was disturbed but somewhere deep down he knew it couldn’t end this way. He had dinner and checked his cell again. He had received three messages. There was one from Aleesha!

Hi Akash. I am extremely sorry. My net pack expired and I didn’t know about it. I thought you didn’t message me and had cancelled the plan. By the time I realized that my net pack had expired, it was too late. Sorry to keep
you waiting. I am texting you my cell number. You can call me after an hour or so. Bye. Sorry again.

One message from Aleesha and Akash couldn’t control his excitement. He immediately called and informed me that Aleesha wasn’t bluffing after all.

Akash waited for the clock to strike 11. It was around 10.45 pm and he thought of calling her up. But he again dropped the plan and decided to wait for another fifteen minutes. Those fifteen minutes seemed never-ending. He didn’t want to show how desperately he wanted to talk to her. But he had unknowingly made the mistake by immediately agreeing to call her. He was recollecting all the things he had to say to her. He noted down a few things on his hand so that he wouldn’t forget. He seemed to be more cautious this time around and the reason was obvious. He didn’t want to lose on an opportunity and regret it later. In the pin drop silence of the room, the only sound audible was that of his heartbeat. If anyone had seen how anxious he was at that time, he would have rolled on the floor laughing. Who notes down things to be said to one’s beloved? Akash did. He was just walking in his room repeating the lines in his mind over and over again as if he had a competitive exam to sit for. All the incidents that had happened in the last 24 hours showed that he was in love. Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. He had gathered all the courage to talk to her for the first time after their short meeting at the disc. It was 11 pm. He dialled her number and Aleesha picked up the call.

‘Hi. What’s up?’ Akash asked.

‘Just had dinner. What about you?’ Aleesha replied in a whisper.

‘Me too. By the way, your caller tune is really romantic. Should I sing it for you? I hope you don’t mind. Though I am not a good singer, I can sing it for you.’ Akash had completely forgotten what he had penned down and spoke what was in his heart.

‘Shut up, Akash. Thank God you are not angry. I am extremely sorry that I couldn’t meet you in the evening. Really sorry,’ Aleesha apologized.

There’s no need to be sorry. I am happy you trusted me and at least shared your number with me,
Akash thought to himself.

‘What happened? Say something.’ Aleesha tried to break the silence.

‘If you are free on Tuesday, can we meet? It’s my weekly off that day,’ Akash said giving it another try.

This time she agreed. Akash was convinced by Aleesha’s seductive voice that she would not ditch him this time. He couldn’t question her anymore. They talked for a few more minutes before eventually hanging up. Akash was on cloud nine and he felt like he was dreaming. Exactly 24 hours back he had met a girl, so beautiful that he instantly lost his heart to her. His heart skipped a beat as soon as he saw her in the disc. He was not the same guy anymore. The brief meeting with her had changed him. Akash had already started planning to make the most of the opportunity and to propose to her. A strong gut feeling was telling him that she liked him too. It was pretty evident in the way she spoke to
him. He closed his eyes and fantasized about going out on a date with her. Within a few minutes, he fell asleep after hours of restlessness. He was relaxed and happy at the end of the day as he had talked to his dream girl for the first time on the phone.

Just before going to sleep, he uploaded his status on BBM so that Aleesha could see it.

You should see my smile when you call or text me! Gn Aleesha. Your voice is mesmerizing.

Though Aleesha hardly expressed the way she felt and pretended as if she was not looking for someone in particular, the truth was that she wanted their casual meetings to remain a secret, and not let anybody else get a whiff of it.

She changed her status on BBM to:
It started with a friend request
.