Metamorphosis (Part III)

" When I saw you over there,

I didn't mean to stare,

But my mind was everywhere,

I wanna know you "

She was amazed at how she could listen to his constant rambling and instead of getting bored, crave for more. They filled their plates with food and walked towards the pool, him still going on about his last anatomy class.

Smiling to herself at his excitement, she listened on.

"Arrey, it got so bad we had to give that guy an enema."

'Stop stop! I so dont want to know the end of that story'

"Arrey but listen no, it's super funny how this ends"

' You had your hand up someone's bum. I can't imagine how it could possibly end in a good story', she giggled

"You have a really cute smile, did you know"

'Typical boy I tell you. Chote se gap mein marofying chance'

"Arey no baba, just appreciating good anatomy"

The live band was playing some old classics.However fun the new techno-beat-electronic mish mash that today's music was, there was nothing that could beat the golden oldies, she thought. As if on que, he started humming.

It seemed like a scene right out of those silly romantic comedies- moonlight night, perfect music, wedding set, the female lead with a slightly obnoxious quirky comic who turns into a charming hero by the end of the movie.

'Gosh!', she said out loud as she touched her emerald earrings.

“What happened? Is my singing that bad, yaar”

‘Tell me one thing, where did you become up this “yaar-yaar” business from?’

“Delhi slang, it catches on eventually. Just like you Southies use ‘da’ for everything.”

‘Ok, first, “you southies”? Where do you think you come from?’ she said as she rose, ‘and second, I, the southie was raised in Delhi for 10 years. To be specific, my formative years were spent in Delhi. Neither do I use ‘yaar’, nor ‘da’ ‘

“Arey yaar, I think there is a problem with your nose”

‘Eh?’

“Anger resides on the very tip of your nose, one tiny spark of and BOOM. You girls I tell you. Oops no no, no genaraliing girls either or you will stab my other foot with your 4 inch heel. Come, now pull me up, let’s go for desert’, he stretched his hand out.

‘Delhi boys can get up on their own yaar’, she giggled as she walked away

She’d reached the serving table before she turned around, but he wasn’t there. She looked around for that familiar face, but there was no sign of him.

“Naina”. It was her mother. “Shall we leave?”

‘Sure ma, let me just check on something.’ She walked back towards the pool. Still no sign of him. Maybe she had been a little too rude. She rushed back to her mother, still browsing through the crowd to catch a glimpse of Rithwik.

“Aint no sunshine when she’s gone..”

She looked out of the car at the canopy of lights one last time and that is when she had realised that she had dropped her earring.