It Started With a Friend Request (8 page)

‘You won’t say anything?’

‘I am speechless, Akash. When did you plan all of this? I never expected that someone would ever do this to me. I am flattered. I still can’t believe you actually did this. You had kept our photograph too, the one which we had taken in McDonald’s,’ she said, and Akash came close and held her hands.

‘I wanted to tell you about my feelings in person, but thought of making it special and memorable. I always feared telling you about it because I feared losing you as a friend. I consider myself really lucky to have a friend like you. But now I want to tell you the truth. Each moment away from you feels like a thousand deaths. I would rather lose you and live in sorrow than spend the rest of my life
wondering what if…’ Akash stopped for a moment and said, ‘I hope you will not hate me. But what choice did I have? You are the most wonderful girl I have ever met and not falling in love with you was never an option for me. I love you, Aleesha.’

He had finally expressed his love and he felt on top of the world. Aleesha kept smiling and looking at him with intensity. Without further delay, she hugged him tightly. The moment they hugged, everyone in the hall applauded. It was then that they realized they were in a movie hall. The last few minutes had taken them into a world which many only dream of. They didn’t wait for the interval to get over. They left the movie hall to spend some time together before the day came to an end. Akash again thanked the manager for executing his plan to perfection.

Akash started the car and kept one hand on the steering and the other on Aleesha’s shoulder. Aleesha too rested her head on his shoulder. Akash gently kissed her forehead and continued driving.

They had almost reached the bridge in Mulund which connected Navi Mumbai and Eastern Express Highway when Akash stopped the car at the side of the road. He sensed his phone was beeping. He attended the call and was about to start the car when Aleesha insisted him to wait for some time. Akash switched on the car’s radio.

‘I just want to see you so that I can dream about you tonight. I love you Akash. I never thought I would love someone whom I had never even met a few months back. But unexpected things happen and that’s life,’ Aleesha said kissing Akash’s hand.

‘I love you too. It feels so nice and secure to hear those words from you. Always be with me.’ Akash kissed her hands and pulled her cheeks, which made Aleesha blush.

Akash increased the volume of radio as his favourite song was being played. He grabbed the opportunity and dedicated the same to Aleesha.

Seedhe saadhe saara sauda seedha seedha hona jee
,

Maine tumko paana hai ya tune main ko khona jee
,

Aaja dil ki kare saude baazi kya naarazi
…

Aa re aa re aa re aa!

Sauda hai dil ka yeh, tu kar bhi le,

Mera jahan tu baahon me tu bhar bhi le,

Saude me de kasam, kasam bhi le,

Aake tu nigaahon me sawar bhi le
…

After the song ended, Akash sensed the intensity of the moment, switched off the headlights of the car, and switched on the parking lights. The glasses were tinted which made it safe for them. She was waiting for Akash to kiss her. Akash was nervous. He was so close yet so far. The sound of parking lights was the only sound audible apart from their breaths. She had closed her eyes.

Gosh, how on earth can it be so easy for her?
Akash couldn’t understand it.

He couldn’t stop thinking about how he was going to kiss her. He was pretty sure that steam would erupt from his ears if he held her tight and tried to kiss her. He was extremely nervous. It was his first kiss. Aleesha was ready
for it. She still had her eyes closed and could feel Akash’s breath inching closer to her. Akash looked outside the window. It was late evening and the street was quite dark. He had to kiss her and she was waiting.

Why couldn’t she make the first move,
he thought to himself. ‘I love you’ said Akash and turned towards her. He wrapped his right hand around her and kept his left hand on her shoulders, bringing her closer to himself. She leant on him while Akash stroked her back. Finally, their lips met. It was their first kiss in a car on a roadside with no one watching them. He started licking her lower lip and gesturing her to open her mouth. When her lips opened, he slowly pushed his tongue inside her mouth and gently explored it. He placed one hand tightly on her neck and the other one on her cheek. She lightly bit his lip and rolled her tongue over his lower lip. Their hands explored each other. He pushed his hands inside her top while Aleesha massaged his thighs gently. Akash’s hand searched for her bra strap when Aleesha opened her eyes and resisted.

‘Not now. This is not the right place,’ Aleesha said releasing herself from him. They were completely exhausted and out of breath. She smiled looking at him and gave another small kiss.

Akash had pushed his seat back to get some leg space and Aleesha was resting her head on his lap. Akash played with her hair and kissed her forehead. Throughout the journey, Aleesha kept on kissing his neck and biting his ears. He dropped her home and returned. He got down the car and searched for his mobile.

July 7 had indeed become memorable for both Akash and Aleesha. Akash had expressed his feelings in the most perfect way possible, and Aleesha was floating on cloud nine. She wanted someone exactly like Akash who could cross all limits for her to make her happy. Their destiny had brought them together. Their lips met as if their souls were meeting. Even when Akash closed his eyes on his bed, he could feel Aleesha’s juicy lips and the tender kiss they had shared. Aleesha too kept thinking about her first kiss that was as memorable as the first Filmfare award that an actor receives in appreciation of his work. She kept blushing all the time whenever she thought about him.

Before they slept, they both changed their BBM status to the song they had sung in the car.

Aaja dil ki kare saude baazi kya narazi… Aa re aa re aa re aa!

Coffee on the Rocks

T
amanna had managed to reach office early as she had to submit some reports to her senior officials. No one from her team had come in yet. While she was busy taking printouts of the reports, she remembered she had to take her medicines for hypertension. She went and filled her glass with water from the cooler and after taking her prescribed pills, she walked through the passage towards the washroom.

As she went closer, she could hear some strange sounds coming from within. It scared the hell out of her. But with heavy steps she decided to move ahead. Soon she realized that the strange sounds were of someone making out in the washroom!

‘Ooh yeah! Mmm…that feels so good!’ a voice muttered from inside the washroom.

Tamanna was standing just outside the door trying to hear carefully what was being said.

‘Oh dear, you’re too good.’ It sounded like a guy’s voice this time.

She was stunned to hear a man’s voice coming from the ladies washroom. She couldn’t believe all this was happening
in office. Though flirting was quite common, especially during appraisals, this was something new to her. Someone was actually making out in the washroom! She didn’t have the guts to open the door and stood outside silently.

‘That was so satisfying, baby. Get up, let me put on my clothes before someone walks in on us,’ the girl muttered again. Tamanna kept wondering whose voice it was.

The moans eventually stopped and there was complete silence for the next couple of minutes.

Tamanna thought of opening the door when she heard the girl say, ‘I don’t think anyone’s out there. I’ll go first. Don’t come out for a few minutes after I’m gone. I’ll give you a ring on your phone signalling everything’s clear and then you can come out.’

Tamanna quickly searched for a place to hide and found a spot behind a pillar. She heard footsteps ahead of her and tilted her head slightly to check who it was.

Oh, fish! That’s Kajal! Is that why she’s been getting leaves and incentives without even doing her work on time?
Tamanna thought to herself. She stood there for a few more minutes to clear all her doubts. She was not wrong. The guy was her senior Manager, Mr Verma. He was in his mid-thirties whereas Kajal had just graduated. She had joined the company only recently but took full advantage of her senior, knowing that he was addicted to sex. Tamanna imagined what it would feel like to be with Deep in the same situation and ignored the wrong things that happened in office. Deep was still on probation and his leaves, HRA, bonus, and other benefits were in Tamanna’s hands. She had a huge crush on Deep and wanted to be in a relationship with him in spite
of him being her junior. Though she had never shared her feelings with any of her colleagues or friends, the same thoughts kept revolving in her head. She thought that even though she was hiding her intentions from others, surely Deep had a hint about her feelings for him, but he didn’t say anything.

She was drinking water when her phone rang.

‘Hello beta, how are you? This is Mr Dalal this side.’ Mr Dalal was the owner of the house where Tamanna and Aleesha were staying.

He continued, ‘I wanted to inform you that I am looking to renovate our flat. Actually, I am moving to my hometown in a year and thus I want to sell my flats and properties before moving out of Mumbai. So I thought of renovating the flat so I could get a better deal for it.’

‘But uncle, I can’t shift in such short notice. I need at least a fortnight,’ Tamanna requested while on her way to the cafeteria.

‘It’s okay. Try and adjust somewhere else for a month. Once the interiors are done, you can move back in. In fact, why don’t you leave all your furniture in the flat and carry only the necessary stuff?’

Tamanna reluctantly agreed and disconnected the call. She thought of how Aleesha had just shifted and telling her to look for some other place would be really awkward. However, Tamanna had no other option. She had to now find a new residence on such short notice. She remembered that a few of her colleagues lived in rented apartments and thus thought of shifting to one of them for a month. She called Aleesha to tell her about it but her phone was not
reachable. She decided to inform her after reaching home at night.

In the meanwhile, she had completely forgotten that she was in the cafeteria and that the counter boy was waiting to take her order. She was jolted from her state by Deep who was patting her shoulders. He had been standing right beside her all this while and, preoccupied in her thoughts, she didn’t hear him come. As she felt Deep’s touch on her shoulder, her world came to a standstill.

‘One Maggi and one apple juice,’ she said regaining her composure.

While walking back with her order, she greeted Deep formally. Deep returned the greeting. He took a bottle of Sprite, searched for his mobile, and called up his friend.

‘Guess what? She again gave me an overfriendly smile. Oh God, I feel so embarrassed when she does that. I am not the type of guy she thinks me to be. I don’t like to use people for personal pleasures. The rumour doing the rounds is that a girl from the other team has crossed all limits to impress her manager. She now gets uninformed leaves and other benefits as well. Even I can get all of these and you know that I am on a third party payroll. So showing personal interest in my manager can actually be beneficial for me and help me in many ways. She has the power to get me on direct payroll but my heart doesn’t agree. Even though I need appraisals desperately, I disapprove of those who take the shortcut to achieve their dreams,’ Deep told his friend in one go.

‘It’s a rather tricky situation. Don’t ever be informal with her. It can send her the wrong signal. But also don’t hesitate
to smile and say a few nice words to her whenever you meet her. After all, she is your senior,’ the other guy on the phone said teasingly.

Deep knew there was some sense in his words. He didn’t want to lose his job by making it obvious through his cold behaviour towards her. He disconnected the call.

Deep was a good looking man with a strong built, good enough to charm girls. He had impressed the people in office by his dedication and hard work. He was strictly professional during office hours and never shirked from his work and responsibilities. He had dreams for himself and his family. The dreams also included his future wife though he was not married yet. However, he was against wrong ways of earning money or getting appraisals. He hated politics and manipulation in the corporate world. If it was in his control, he would have forced everyone to follow corporate ethics. But he knew that the real meaning of office ethics was only in management books, which provides a good read but is never actually followed by anyone.