‘W
hy don’t you convey your feelings to Malvika? I think she likes you too,’Ahana suggested, sipping her coffee.
It was late at night but Varun was still busy with his assignments in the living room. Two days had passed since their crazy road trip and they were again settling into their old routine. Keeping
him company were Garima and Ahana who were watching television. Malvika was asleep in her bedroom. He blushed as soon as Ahana asked the question. He had been planning to confess his feelings to Malvika but was waiting for the right time.
‘Tomorrow is a book launch in Mumbai.’ He smiled.
‘So?’ Ahana asked.
‘Oh shit. Are you serious?’ Garima asked.
She understood what he meant.
Malvika had told her about a book
launch she was eager to attend but, in all
probability, she was going to miss it due to her practical exams.
‘What is happening?’ Ahana seemed confused.
‘Malvika loves reading and tomorrow is her favourite author’s book launch in Mumbai. So I am going to attend it just so I can get an autographed copy of the book with a personal message for her from the author that will read, “Malvika, will you be Varun’s girlfriend?”’
‘That’s a brilliant idea. She was really sad about missing the event. This will make her really happy,’ Garima said in excitement.
Ahana loved the idea but what really delighted her was that he wanted to surprise Malvika with another out-and-out romantic gesture. He had dismissed it because he was short of cash but Ahana convinced him to borrow money from her and go ahead with his plans.
After all, when you love someone you should not hesitate to express it
wholeheartedly. He immediately called the concerned person to confirm the plan. He was scared that his plan would backfire but with Ahana and Garima’s support, he was willing to take the chance. No wonder they were BFFs.
Best friends make your problems and
fears their own, so you don’t have to face them alone.
You don’t need to do any cardio
exercises once your heart starts beating for someone. The best cardio is the way love makes your heart race. The most wonderful love stories are those in which you fall in love with the most unexpected person at the most
unexpected time. Before coming to Mumbai, Varun had never expected to fall in love with his roommate.
Varun left for the book launch without informing Malvika about it. She had no idea what was coming her way. As he reached the bookstore, he saw a huge crowd waiting for the author to arrive.
For a moment, he was disheartened thinking his plan wouldn’t become reality, seeing the excitement of the fans who were waiting to click pictures and take autographs. Without thinking too much of the consequences, he purchased the book and waited for the author to arrive. The moment the author entered, girls started hooting and cheering for one glimpse of him. This depressed Varun even more. Was Malvika in love with
the author? He waited patiently until the event was over and the anchor
announced, ‘The stage is open now.
Those who want to take autographs can come ahead. But please maintain a single queue to avoid chaos.’
The author took the mike from the anchor and said, ‘Guys, don’t worry.
Just come one by one in a queue. I will sign every single book and click photos too.’
As Varun heard this, he started
jumping in joy. The girls standing next to him thought that he was another crazy fan. Their giggles hardly mattered to
Varun. He stood in the queue patiently and waited for his turn.
‘What’s your name?’ the author asked as soon as Varun handed over the book to him.
‘I want you to write my friend’s name.
Malvika. Also, if you can add a message?’ Varun requested.
Before the author could start writing a message of his own, Varun said, ‘I want you to write “Will you be Varun’s
girlfriend, Malvika?”’
The author looked up and smiled at Varun.
‘I hope she accepts your proposal. If so, do inform me. Hopefully I’ll get an
interesting story to write.’
‘Sure,’ Varun added and left. Who the hell is going to reveal their story to this author? he thought.
Without wasting any more time, he left the place.
Once he returned to Navi Mumbai, he went to the shop where he had ordered some T-shirts. The shop was about to close, but Varun managed to reach just in time. He called Ahana and asked if
everything was ready. Ahana replied in the affirmative. He took out his wallet and glanced at the picture of his mother.
Thankfully the picture was not in the wallet that was stolen on the road trip.
How desperately he wanted her to be with him but death is beyond anyone’s control. He wiped the tears off his face and hailed a cab home. The book and the T-shirts were carefully hidden in his bag. After having dinner, Garima requested Malvika to join her for a walk.
‘Are you okay?’ Malvika asked.
‘Of course.’
‘Then all of a sudden why do you want to go for a walk?’
Everyone pretended like they didn’t know anything.
‘Something is cooking. Tell me!’
‘Nothing. I just wanted some fresh air so I thought of going a walk. This pain is making me mad,’ Garima said, faking a headache to convince Malvika.
Malvika finally agreed. As per the plan, Garima was to return not before an hour. As soon as they left, Varun took out the candles he had bought. Ahana was impressed by Varun’s preparation. Both of them made the necessary
arrangements in the living room.
‘All the notes are ready, right?’ Varun asked.
Ahana nodded and handed them to him. In the meanwhile, she lit the candles all around. The stage was set
and all Varun had to do now was to speak his heart. He was very nervous about it and the nervousness showed on his face. You know, there are times when you want to ask that simple little
question and then you realize you’re afraid of that one simple little answer.
Varun too was afraid of that one simple little answer.
‘Dude, the way you have set up everything, if you propose to me right now, I will accept it.’ Ahana laughed just to make him relax.
‘Shut up. Let me message Garima that we are ready.’
He sent Garima a WhatsApp message.
Hey, you can come back. Everything is set. Just pray everything goes well. And yes, your T-shirt is in your bedroom. We both have ours on already.
Once the message was delivered, he immediately logged on to Facebook and uploaded a status tagging Malvika. It’s going to be a memorable night for you.
Because of you I smile a lot more these days. I think I have found my forever.
He thought at least ten times before clicking ‘Post’.
‘Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!’ was all he could scream once he posted the status. He refreshed his page almost a hundred
times in just a minute just to check if Malvika had commented on it or even liked it. Sometimes we don’t care how many people like our status. The only thing we care about is that the status reaches the one person it is meant for!
Love makes you do silly things. It can make you buy a book even if you are not interested in reading it. Because the happiness of your girl lies in reading that book. It makes you buy candles even when there is no power cut. Some people aren’t just special, they are simply irreplaceable and Malvika was certainly one of those people for Varun.
Whenever he was with her, he wished
the clock would turn anticlockwise or just stop moving altogether!
Malvika saw the Facebook notification just before she entered the apartment.
She had a smile on her face after reading Varun’s status. However, she was
unaware of all that he had planned for her. As the door opened, she saw that the lights were dim and there were candles lit beautifully all over. Varun was
standing there waiting to see Malvika’s reaction, while she was absolutely speechless. Ahana was in the bedroom