“Come on, Arnav. Everyone is waiting. And the mood of the party is just drying up a bit,” he said.
The Sethi couple had shifted to Mumbai after their marriage, so they didn’t have any relatives in this city. They had to start their lives from scratch to reach where they are right now. But in the process, they did manage to create new bonds. Bonds which were as thick and strong as any blood relations. And one such bond was created between Rishikesh Chokravarty and Arnav Sethi. The two couples had instantly clicked, soon after they met. Slowly and gradually the bond strengthened as one family. Now Arnav could not refuse Rishikesh and stood up sluggishly.
“Yeah, let’s go,” said Arnav as they walked out of the room.
As the duo entered the living room, they were welcomed by a crowd with glowing faces. All of them shouted “Happy Anniversary” in unison. Arnav walked up to the cake and kissed Malini softly on her cheek. The cake was cut, and the whole house resonated with happy music.
The party had now regained its momentum, and everyone was having a gala time. At the end of the party, all the couples in the house were made to dance to a slow, romantic song. Arnav was a little reluctant at first but on Sagarika’s request he joined in with Malini. And what a soothing sight it was, as all the couples in the house swayed to the romantic number which was followed by a scrumptious dinner.
The party had now come to a close, and slowly all the guests started leaving. Rishikesh, Sagarika, Malini, and Arnav were sitting on the couch, savouring both the wine and the evening. Just then, three of Sania’s friends came into the hall.
“Uncle, he was saying that you are an author,” said one of the kids pointing at his friend. “Could you tell us one story, maybe?” he added eagerly.
“But don’t you guys have to run home?” asked Arnav, first time in a while. “It’s pretty late,” he added, looking up at the watch.
“Oh no, we are staying back with Sania, and we have the permission for that from our parents,” said one of the teenagers.
“But which genre do you want? Thrillers? Because they have gone out of fashion nowadays. The same old twists at the end,” said Arnav looking at the adults.
“Let’s hear one, Arnav. Come on,” said Sagarika.
“It’s been a while, since we heard one of the Arnav classics. Let’s all join in,” said Rishikesh addressing the two ladies in the room.
Arnav glanced at Malini, who signalled him to agree to the request. “Alright, let’s go to the study then,” he said, and walked towards the study, followed by Sania and her friends.
“He was never much of a talker, but a damn good writer according to me,” said Rishikesh getting up from the couch as all three of them walked to the study.
As they entered the room, they saw Arnav sitting on the bed and the children on the floor. The three adults saw the same old Arnav, with his unique spark, which had somehow faded over the years. The old spark rekindled in his eyes, as he made himself comfortable on the bed. The same Arnav, who had always mesmerized them with his authentic stories during the early days in Mumbai. Now that their old Arnav was in front of them, they realized how much they craved for this, since the past few years.
“So this story spans back to about 20 years, set in the 2000s,” said Arnav, clapping his hands together. “And let me warn you, this is an ‘A’ rated if that’s okay,” he continued looking up at the adults in the room.
“We are okay with it. I am sure these kids must be already having a lot of “knowledge” beyond their age,” chuckled Rishikesh sipping on his wine again.
“Okay, then this story starts in a stereotyped manner. A windy night, empty streets, traffic lights flickering,” started Arnav as the audience leaned intently.
Chapter 2
“That is an intriguing start, daddy. Hope the story doesn’t let us down, though,” said Sania with a smirk on her face.
“Okay, then as I said before, this story starts in a typical manner that it is a dark night, empty streets, traffic lights flickering,” continued Arnav, ignoring the taunt.
“Dad, start with the story please,” said Sania hurriedly.
“Okay. Here it goes…” said Arnav mysteriously.
It was 9:33 pm on a week day. The lanes were empty, and the traffics lights flickered. A tall, beautiful girl with sparkling eyes walked out of Oscar society, the heels of her sandals making an unusually deep, un-rhythmic hollow sound, implying she wasn’t comfortable in them. She managed to reach the gate and was instantly discouraged on looking at the barren street, the cool november air brushing her skin. She tried calling someone, but the call went answered. There she stood, stranded and helpless, waiting for a cab to arrive.
And then suddenly, she saw a cab turning around the block and entering the alley. She ran uncomfortably and got close enough to stop the cab.
“Bardez Villa chaloge?” she asked.
“Madam, ye gaadi dur jaane vali hai. Aap koi dusri le lo” answered the cab driver.
“Could you please take me? Mein yaha adhe ghante se khadi hu” requested the girl.
“I don’t think so ma’am. Please look for another cab” he replied sternly.
“Oh no, you are taking me to the villa. Can’t wait here all night long. The villa isn’t that far from here” said the girl, while getting into the cab hurriedly.
Now the cab driver had no other choice, so they started on their journey to the villa.
The alley was quiet. But as soon as they got onto the main road, the real hustle bustle began. People were walking half-clad, cheering at the top of their voices. Some were walking straight, and some were even barely walking. Some were running with their partners on
