The warm yellow light from the room inside was the only source of illumination on the balcony where Rishika stood. The view of the vast open field in front of her soothed her. As she sipped the Sula, she thought about the randomness of life.
“Why else would such a thing happen to me? Only luck could explain this.” She gulped the remaining wine in her glass and turned around to see Sanjay leave the house with another girl. Someone she did not recognize. Sanjay, her now ex-boyfriend, had just broken up with Rishika. They had been dating for seven years now. Rishika usually would have been a mess on occasion like this, but she had felt it coming for some time now. In fact, had Sanjay not done it, Rishika would have broken up with him. Still, she felt sad, not because he had broken up but because a part of her life that she had thought to be settled was back to being uncertain. Something which she never liked. She sighed and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she had accepted the change in her life and was ready to move on.
She had come to this party as Sanjay’s plus-one. She did not know anyone here. And now that Sanjay had left, she was contemplating whether to stay or leave the party. Just about that time, the door to the balcony opened. A boy roughly about Rishika’s age stepped into the balcony, glanced at Rishika, and closed the door behind him. He took out his phone from his pants, dialed a number, and started talking to someone. He went and stood at the corner farthest from her.
The Sikh boy was wearing pistachio-colored chinos with a crisp white shirt. The folded cuffs revealed strong hairy forearms. Neatly tied turban matched the color of the pants. Dark tan shoes and a belt added to his style. A black mechanical watch completed his look. As the boy stood bent against the railing, his back towards Rishika, she could not help but notice how firm his bums looked. “Press them,” a voice inside her head told her. “Squeeze them,” said another. “Spank them.” instructed yet another. The boy stood straight now, and through the dim light on the balcony, Rishika could notice how fit he was. Rishika saw his thin waist, broad shoulders, and huge chest ready to pop out of his tightly-fit shirt. Arms so strong that she longed to be in them and legs thick like a stump of a tree. Hazel-eyed, with a neatly trimmed beard, sharp nose, and an accentuated jawline, Rishika drooled as the boy disconnected the phone and went past her inside the house. The whiff of Yves Saint Laurent L’homme Ultime tingled her senses as she sighed again, this time out of admiration. By then, she had forgotten all about Sanjay. Her eyes followed him inside till he vanished out of sight. She decided to go inside the house and look for him.
The house was a two-story duplex flat in one of the poshest colonies of Delhi. With five bedrooms, two kitchens, five bathrooms, five balconies, two living rooms, two dining rooms, and a staircase connecting the ground floor to the terrace, the boy could have been anywhere. Rishika decided to visit every room. And visit she did. Finally, when she could not find him, she decided to go and check the terrace. She took the staircase. Standing at the end of the stairs, she opened the door to the rooftop. She scanned the place, and to her disappointment, there was no one.
“Looking for me?” The Sikh boy stood ten stairs below where she was. Leaning against the wall with hands folded against his chest, he had a sly grin. As if he had caught Rishika doing something naughty. Startled, she shrieked at seeing the boy behind her.
“What? No? I mean, why? Why would I?” She felt flushed and embarrassed. With the boy standing between her and the only exit to the house below, she darted towards the terrace and chose to halt at the edge farthest from the door. Her heart beat faster, & her hands trembled. The fact that she just spoke to the boy turned her face red. The boy, however, could not see any of this. He was still at the door, which was some fifty feet away from where Rishika was.
“I am sorry for startling you like that.” He finally broke the silence.
“I think I should leave.” he said when she didn’t respond.
“No.” Rishika turned around with the agility of a badminton player trying to reach for the shuttle.
“I mean. It is your choice, if you want to leave. But I am OK with you being here. It’s a huge terrace.” She spread her arms to show him the expanse of the place.
“Yeah, it is, and thankfully a beautiful one too.” He was looking only at her. She, noticed this, blushed, and turned around. Her hands on the parapet, she covered her mouth with her shoulder to hide the shy smile on her face. She wanted to scream out of excitement, but she chose to remain calm.
“I am Jaskaran. Most of my friends call me Jas. How come you are not at the party downstairs.” He moved onto the terrace one step closer to Rishika.
She turned around, much more composed, and said, “I, I wanted some fresh air. But how come you are here? Were you stalking me?”
“I was sitting on the chair opposite the stairs, waiting for someone. When you climbed, I thought that you were that someone.” He put his hands in his pockets and moved one step closer to her.
“Oh! That someone must be really important if you were waiting for her. I am sorry I disappointed you that I am not that someone.” With a coy smile, she looked down at her feet playfully, making figures on the ground.
“Oh! Have you now? I did not know that. On the contrary, I believe some disappointments must happen in life.”
Rishika, not knowing what to say, smiled, and Jas smiled with her and came and stood next to her.
“I am Rishika.” She extended her hand. “Very nice to meet you Jas.” He reciprocated the gesture.
“How come you aren’t at the party below?” Rishika asked as both of them turned around to face the open grounds.
“I was with my girlfriend. My ex-girlfriend.”
“What? You got dumped too?” She asked
“You too?” He responded.
“Yeah. And not just that, he left the party with some girl who was wearing a pink dress. Who wears a pink dress at a party like this?”
“My girlfriend.”
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, both understood what had happened and started laughing. They high-fived each other and laughed until tears rolled out of their eyes. With the last tears, both expunged feelings towards their exes out of their system. As their bout of laughter slowly faded they found themselves looking at each other. An indescribable pull from within their guts propelled them to admit the other in their embrace, yet an invisible barrier outside stopped them. She noticed how his eyes were pleading with hers to let go and be one. Their bossoms heaving with the restraint they had to show to stop themselves.
It was Jas who turned away first. She followed.
“You are a definite treat for the eyes. He said.
“Oh, is it? What treat are we talking about here?” She said.
“Umm. Good question. I would say Kulfi Faluda.” he said.
“Kulfi Faluda?? Chiiii yaar. You could have picked up any desert in the whole world, and yet you chose that. Don’t blame me if I judge.” She said.
“Have you ever seen an authentic Kulfi Faluda?” He said.
“I have, but enlighten me, please.” She said, crossing her arms and leaning her back against the parapet.
“Ok. Close your eyes.” He said.
“What? I am not closing my eyes. I don’t know what you would do if I closed my eyes.” She teased him.
“If you close your eyes, I will make you see the world through my eyes.” He took a step forward and placed his hands on her eyes.
His touch sent a wave of sensations through her body. A feeling that Rishika knew. Something that she had experienced before. Not in this lifetime but a long long time ago. A time she could not place her fingers on but still remembers. The sensation rode through every pore of her skin. She felt comfortable and warm on this cold winter night. Instinctively, she put her hands on his with her eyes still shut.
“Good, now imagine a tall, sparkling, clean, and clear thick glass mug placed right in front of you. As you notice how spotless and clear that glass is and how expensive it looks, two big scoops of Kulfi drop into it. Two generous frozen scoops of cream-colored Kulfi fresh from the matki. A gentle mist emanating from it. Even before you could register the beauty of the lacerated cream kulfi in front of you it starts, snowing.”
“Snowing?” She interjected.
“Shh.” He shushed her.
“A thick layer of white crushed ice completely covers the Kulfi. A gentle stream of rose syrup adds a soft, rosy red to the mixture of cream and white. As it finds its way into the crevices of the crushed ice, it makes the ice its own. Rendering its color to the white, it progenates a baby pink. Something that you would want to make your own. A scoop of crunchy, gooey black basil seeds add another dimension to the dish. A yin to the yang. Green cashew nuts are thrown on top of everything add to the vibrancy of the dish. Once you thought you had the perfect-looking dish, a handful of sleek, soft, squishy, slender noodles are added to the milieu of colors. And this Rishika is what you are through my eyes. A kulfi Faluda.” With this, he removed his hands from her eyes.
As Rishika slowly opened her eyes, the taste of Kulfi still fresh in them, she did not remove her hands from his. Rather her fingers interlocked his.
“Umm..” She could only talk in sounds.
He broke the silence once more.
“ Are you OK?”
“Yes, I am. I am just speechless. I have never tasted food through my eyes before. Thank you for this experience. And I must say that you are not bad looking yourself.”
He laughed, and so did she.
“How old are you, Jas?” She asked.
“I am 27, and you?” He asked.
“Take a guess.” She said.
“Umm. 24?” He said.
“Close, I am 25.” She said.
“What do you do?” She asked.
“ I build custom model cars. You know, the really tiny ones, which are an exact replica of the real ones.” He answered.
“Yeah. Yeah. That is so cool. You do that for a living?” She asked
.
“Yes. it is quite some money.” He answered.
“Oh, you are handsome AND rich.” She flirted
“And single too. Don’t forget that.” he replied as both of them smiled.
“What do you do, Rishika?” He asked.
“I am a practicing psychologist.” She said.
“That is so cool.” He said.
“I have always wondered how psychologists function. I mean, you would have to try and understand the person’s entire personality. I am guessing. I always found it difficult and interesting. And it is only after meeting you that I have realized they come in such nice packaging as well.” He said with the same sly smile of his.
“Yeah, right.” She did not know how else to react to the compliment she had received. However, she realized that she liked receiving compliments from him.
“We psychologists are a multi-talented lot. We know how to play with both your brains and hearts. So you be very careful, haan.” She laughed.
“ Oooo, I am very scared.” He said mockingly, raising his hands in alarm.
“ You seem like you have traveled a lot. Which is your favorite travel destination? She asked, changing the topic.
“Oh, is it? What part of me gave that away?” He asked.
“Women’s hunch, you wouldn’t know. Not tell me na.” She replied.
“Fair enough. Well you are right. I have been to more than 20 countries, and I love Bali. That is one place I can go every year.” He said.
“20 countries?” Nice. But for me mountains take precedence over beaches any time of the day. So I will take you to Switzerland and make sure that that becomes your favorite travel destination.” She said.
“Oh, we are planning holidays already. I like it, and I would love to see what you hit me up with.” He said.
“If you stay this hot, you might move from planning to execution as well.” She responded.
“Smart anwer.” he said.
“I would rather want to travel for the rest of my life. Actually, that is what I am trying to do. I am planning to earn and save enough so that I can travel for the rest of my life.” He continued.
“First of all. OH MY GOD!!” She screamed. “ Second of all, that is what my plan is, as well. Earn enough in the next ten years so I can travel the world.” She said.
“If that is the case then I have an idea. If we implement this, we can keep earning and travel for the rest of our lives.” he said.
“Oh. Whats that?” She asked.
“Let’s open a travel agency.” He said.
“Wow. Here I am trying to save people from committing suicide and you want me to become a tour operator. What a nice plan.” She said.
“No. No. Hear me out. We would not be just any tour operator. We would arrange tours only for older couples. People who want to go on their second honeymoon or want to rekindle their love. That way we can go to all the exotic places in the world. AND get paid for it. The best part is that nobody currently provides exclusive service like this.” He completed.
“The idea is nice. I will think about it. You would have to speak to my manager to get dates to discuss this further.” She chuckled as she spoke.
“Oh is it? I did not know I was talking to such a famous personality. I guess I would apply for the position of your manager then.” He responded. Her hands still in his.
“Well, the position is already taken as I just told you.” She said.
“Yeah, it was, up until now. But I guess once you know how good a manager I am, the other poor fellow might have to go.” He said.
“Such overconfidence might be harmful.” She teased him.
His expression suddenly went steely. He stood up straight and slowly started walking toward her,
Rishika got confused, “Ummm what are you doing Jas.?”
He did not respond but kept moving closer. Rishika’s initial confusion quickly gave way to alarm. She stepped backward. She wanted him but not in this manner. There was still time.
“Jas, I am feeling scared. What are you doing?” She said.
He did not respond. But when he saw Rishika move backward, he held her arms. Rishika was taken aback by his firm grip, and she went numb by his sudden change in demeanor. He pulled her close. Her soft breasts could now feel his hard chest. He had wrapped one of his hands around her lower back so she could feel his endowment against her groin. As his musky cologne took over her nasal senses, her alarm quickly turned into want. Want for him to go further. Want for her skin to feel his. Want for his hands to explore.Want for his tongue to explore hers and want for his lips to feel hers. Her eyes could not hide what she felt, so she closed them. He brought his face so close to her that his nose touched hers. Then with a minty breath, he said.
“Are you sure that this is overconfidence or do you think the position for being your manager is vacant now?”
With that, he took a pause. As she opened her eyes her face changed a thousand colors before settling on the one that expressed betrayal.
He had let go of her, and she was impressed, angry, and amused simultaneously.
“You dog.” She smacked his chest.
She tried to smack him jocularly but he managed to dodge. She tried again, and he stepped back. She tried once more and he ran away from her. She followed. Jaskaran was running away from Rishika, trying to avoid getting hit by her. Rishika was running after him trying to catch hold of him. Both of them running around in circles on the terrace, laughing like five-year-olds playing a game of “Catch me if you can”
Finally, Jaskaran stopped. Huffing and puffing, Rishika followed suit. She stopped right next to him and started hitting him on his arms while trying to catch her breath.
“I am sorry. I am sorry.” Jaskaran said, catching his breath himself.
He held Rishika’s hands and sat down on the terrace against the parapet, making Rishika sit next to him. His arms around her, Rishika kept her head on his chest. Both of them still smiling.
“What sort of music do you listen to?” He asked.
“I mostly like soft music, ghazals, and all but when out drinking and partying, I don’t mind anything upbeat and fast. “ She answered.
“You want to listen to some music?” He asked
“Oh yeah, I would love to.” She answered.
Jas took out his phone and bluetooth earphones from his pocket and connected the earphones to the phone. He then gave one earphone to Rishika and put the other in his ear. Then he played “Khaab” by Nikhil and held her soft hands in his.
“Main jadon teri khawaban wali rah tureya, main turia bada na maitun jaawe mudeya…”
As the singer professed his love for the female protagonist both Jas and Rishika got lost in the world of his love life. With their eyes closed, their heads swayed slowly to the tunes of “Khwabb” by Nikhil.
She felt safe in his arms. She felt protected. As the song changed to “Love me like you do” Rishika closed her eyes and pressed her body harder onto his chest.
As the songs played out one after the other, they took them on a journey of emotions, of highs and lows. Each song bringing its own unique perspective to love. At first they liked each other’s touch and did not want to let go, but by the 3rd song, they were lost in melodies. Two human beings who had never met in their entire lives connected not just by the embrace but by music, realizing that the presence of the one energizes the other.
After about 20 minutes of playing undisturbed music the phone played “All of Me” by John Legend. Jas was sitting against the parapet with Rishika next to him. Her head on his chest and his head on her. His hand was wrapped around her back and was feeling the softness of her arms. Their legs straight out in the front.
“Cause all of me
Loves all of you”
With the other hand Jas placed his fingers beneath her chin and pulled her head up towards him. With this, their lips touched each other.
“Cause all of me
Loves all of you”
