Chapter 4
Goa
10 Years Ago
A nirudh was sitting with his friends at Romeo Street Club, which was situated on the side of a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was arranged along the terrain of the cliff with the dance floor and a major part of the dining area on the lowest level, just above where the waves clashed against the rocks.
It was Valentine’s Day and the club was teeming with couples. Heart-shaped decorations hung from the ceiling, the walls, the tables and even the chairs. Gold and red streamers, flashing heart-shaped lights, cupids and arrows decorated the club.
But Anirudh was not looking at any of that. His gaze was fixed on the girl dressed in a dark blue dress who was dancing all by herself at the edge of the dance floor. He caught himself staring a bit too much at the girl and tried to look somewhere else. He checked out the party of beautiful girls that had just entered the club.
They were dressed impeccably, and their youth shone through. Yes, they did warrant his attention. His eyes shifted to another group at a nearby table. The girl in maroon looked nice. She had an appealing figure and her hair shone in the lighting when it moved as she talked animatedly with the guy sitting on her right. And then there was that girl near the railing, taking selfies with her boyfriend. She was trying to capture the exact moment when the waves broke behind them. She looked pretty great too.
His eyes, however, made their way back to the girl on the dance floor. He scowled. What was wrong with him? It was as if he could not help it. What the hell was it with that girl that kept attracting his attention?
This time, he gave in and did not let his eyes wander. Instead, he studied her. She had huge, attractive eyes. Her lips were painted a deep red and looked voluptuous. Her features were perfect. Were they really though? Or was it just make-up? He had no clue, but her beauty appealed a lot to his senses. Her long, luxurious hair glowed as it moved in waves in tune to her dance movements. The girl was beautiful, no doubt. But she was not the most beautiful girl he had seen. Why did his eyes keep moving to her then?
Then, he reluctantly admitted to himself that the girl was somehow different from the other girls he had seen. He did not know how; he just knew she was different. She was curvy. But her curves had some sort of a strength. She carried herself well. She looked poised and determined without seeming haughty. And, she was dancing all alone. Like she had not a single bother in the whole wide world. As if the opinions of others or even their presence did not affect her.
Anirudh noticed several guys glancing at her before they gave up. Not a single guy approached her. Why? He wondered. Maybe they thought that they did not have what it took to deal with a strong woman. He nodded to himself. Yes! That was it! She was a strong woman. She was not like any other woman, who were vulnerable or ‘womanly’.
She was not like those women who needed to be rescued or praised. No. She was different. That was why the other guys were keeping away from her. They knew the usual kind of women, with whom they’d know what to say and what to do. But with a strong woman? It was an entirely different game.
Did he have it in him, wondered Anirudh. Maybe yes. Or maybe no. He had not really tried, had he? But maybe he should. He should give it a shot. The girl was an enigma and he sure wanted to give it a try to see if he could learn more about her.
“Forget it. Not going to happen,” said his colleague, Sushanth, looking at the girl and then at Anirudh.
Anirudh grinned. “Why not?”
“Way out of our league.”
“Hmmm. She has something. I just want to know what.”
Sushanth shrugged. “Approach her and maybe you will know.” He then turned to look at her and said appraisingly, “She looks too stuck-up. She is sure to insult you. Do you want to risk it? After all, today is your day. Why spoil it?”
Anirudh chuckled. “Today is my day and that is why I think I should give it a try. A new form of energy is flowing through my veins, telling me that everything is possible.”
“Your funeral,” said Sushanth dryly.
“Well, you guys won’t be here to watch anyway. You are abandoning me and leaving. It is only midnight and yet—”
Sushanth glared at him. “We have families. We are not bachelors like you.”
“Don’t be jealous. You all were bachelors once, remember?” Anirudh said, laughing.
Sushanth raised his eyebrow. “Don’t talk too much. You will be married soon too. Just remember that.”
Anirudh scoffed. “Fat chance of that happening.”
They all got up. “Alright, Anirudh. Congrats, once again. Very happy for you, man.”
Another colleague slapped him on the back. “Thanks for the treat, man. Will you be coming to office tomorrow?”
“No, I am returning to Mumbai tomorrow afternoon.”
“Nice, man. Great catching up with you.”
After a lot of hugging and jovial slapping on the back, they left. Anirudh sat all alone at their table, his eyes back on that girl.
***
Anirudh watched as she returned to her table. She placed her order and then watched the crowd on the dance floor.
He got up, nervous. He steeled himself and had almost reached her table, when another guy sat down at her table. Anirudh hung back, his hands in his pocket and looked at the dance floor. He was glad that the club was busy and teeming with people. He did not look out of place standing there.
“Your beauty is blinding me,” the man said. Anirudh rolled his eyes and almost shook his head at the pathetic attempt.
The girl, however, laughed. “Really?” She asked in a musical voice.
Encouraged, the guy leaned forward. “Yes. I have never laid eyes on a more beautiful girl in my entire life.”
“I am flattered.”
“Would you like to have a drink with me?”
The girl laughed and shook her head. The man was taken aback. His confidence seemed to have left him in a hurry.
The girl then looked into his eyes and asked softly, “Do you really think it’s that simple?”
His smile faltered. “What?”
“I am flattered by your attention. But my answer is no. I can buy my own drink. I have myself for company. I can dance by my own. I really don’t need anything else for tonight.”
“But—”
“Have a nice evening, Sir.” There was a firm dismissal in her tone and yet, the man hung about.
“It’s just a drink.”
“Please learn how to take ‘no’ for an answer. I am happy by myself. Thank you very much,” she repeated, as she picked up the menu card.
Defeated, the guy got up and walked away. Anirudh gave it a minute before approaching her.
“Hey!” He greeted her as he stood by her table.
“Hi!” The girl replied, looking up at him.
Anirudh faltered. Her big, dark brown eyes were looking right at him and he lost it. She really was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Maybe all she had to do was look into his eyes for him to realise that. And her voice! So soft. As if it had a large dose of magic in it.
“Can I buy you a drink?” He asked. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he silently cursed himself. Was that the best he could do? The other guy suddenly appeared far better than him.
She smiled before she shook her head and resumed perusing the menu card. “I already have one. Don’t waste your time.”
“Okay, look,” he said, taking the seat opposite hers. “I will tell you the truth. I came here with my friends. And when I told them that you looked beautiful, they laughed, saying that I could never get a girl like you. That you are way out of my league.”
Humour danced in her eyes and she endeavoured to stifle the smile that rose to her lips. She said gently. “Your friends seem to have a lot of sense. You should listen to them.”
“Well, I generally would. Except, today I got a promotion. And I am totally high on my success. So much that my common sense seems to have taken a backseat. And everything seems possible and doable today.”
The girl looked at him sideways. “Do I look doable to you?”
Anirudh panicked. “No, no, …I did not mean that. God, no!”
The girl looked at him for a few moments and then suddenly laughed at his discomfort.
Anirudh drew strength from her laugh. He continued, “It’s just that… I see that you are all alone. And I am all alone. My friends…actually, they are just my colleagues and not really my friends… But the fact remains that they all ditched me for their families.”
The girl gasped. “Aah! How dare they? As if their families were more important than your promotion!”
Anirudh laughed at her sarcasm and said earnestly, “Exactly! They left me! And on the day of my much-awaited promotion! Can you imagine how callous some people can be?”
The girl checked her watch. “And that too, at one o’clock in the night! What cheek!”
Anirudh snorted. “Exactly. It’s just about the next day. Can you imagine?”
The girl shook her head. Her shiny hair danced around her face. “I totally can’t. They must be such horrendous devils.”
Anirudh’s heart skipped a beat. She did look extraordinarily beautiful.
He shook his finger at her. “Exactly. Exactly. Which is why I am asking the fair maiden to help me out in this horrible time when I have been betrayed…”
She frowned. “Shouldn’t you be rescuing the fair maiden instead of asking for her help?”
He waved his hand and said, dismissively, “Nah, nah! All those are fairy tales. Nowadays, it’s the fair maidens that come to the help of the princes.”
The girl smothered a smile. “Just a clarification. Are you the prince here?”
Anirudh straightened himself and expanded his chest a bit. “Yes, of course. Don’t I look like one?”
The girl looked at him keenly as if studying him. “Hmm…you look like a handsome, rich…” she said, pleasantly and Anirudh’s eyes widened at the compliment. But then she finished it with, “…fully spoiled prince. Yes, you do.”
Anirudh’s enthusiasm deflated. “Okay, okay, fine. Here is the deal…”
“Deal?” The girl asked, pretending shock. “I thought you were asking for my help.”
“Okay, okay. Let me just buy us a drink each. We talk till we finish that drink. We get to know each other. And then, you go your way and I go mine. We don’t even exchange phone numbers. Okay? Sounds fair.”
The girl laughed. “What is the use then?”
“Well, right now, you are an enigma to me, and I don’t like girls like that.”
“You don’t like girls like me?”
“To be truthful, no! If I don’t get to know you, you will stay an enigma and you will haunt me for nights on end…I mean, days on end,” corrected Anirudh as he flushed and continued, “I don’t want that. If I get to know you…”
“I will cease to be an enigma and you can go back to your life as usual.”
“Exactly. Thank you! You are very astute.”
“Hmmm…” replied the girl as she looked at him contemplatively.
“Okay, while you are considering…let us review the facts again. I am single. I got promoted today. And all my friends ditched me, leaving me feeling so very lonely on such an important day of my life…”
“Okay, okay. Enough with your sob story. Just one drink, okay?”
“Okay!” Anirudh replied, grinning.
“A fair maiden to the rescue of the crying prince!” She declared.
“Crying? Not crying! Come on!” Anirudh replied, scowling. “Just a handsome, lonely prince. That’s all. Crying? Oh God! Why are you doing this? You are taking all the fun out of it!”
The girl giggled at his complaints. Then she looked at him and asked, “Does the handsome prince have a name?”
It took a minute for Anirudh to be mollified. He finally grumbled, “Anirudh.”
“Hi, Anirudh! The fair maiden coming to your rescue is called Rachanna.”
Rachanna! Anirudh’s heart melted. What a lovely name! Such an apt name for the lovely maiden.
Anirudh startled as a thought occurred to him. “You are not married, are you?”
Rachanna gave him a small smile. She looked into his eyes for a few minutes that were filled with such intense suspense that he would have cried out for her to hurry with her answer if she had taken a moment longer. She finally shook her head. “Not tonight, I am not.”
“‘Not tonight’? Ha-ha, you are funny!”
She looked at him, an enigmatic smile on her lips, as he turned to order their drinks.