Kismet's Odyssey

-Seven-

The party was already well under way when Miloni and Sherry arrived. It was held at the only pub in the town centre. Miloni had worn a midi green dress and she had put up her hair in a knot at the top. Sherry wore a skin tight jeans with a halter neck top. Nithya was already there with her boy friend and Ajitha was not coming because of a family dinner. Many of their friends waved at them and Karan, the birthday boy welcomed them merrily.

“Ah Miloni, you look great!” he gushed unaware that he was blushing as he appreciated Miloni.

“Thanks Karan, hope we are not late,” Sherry quipped drily.

“No no, waiting for Arko…” he replied

“As usual, late entry! What is new?” Sherry added scathingly and grinning at a boy, she moved towards him. Eshan had been trying, for the last two years, to gain Sherry’s attention even though she played hard to get.

 When Miloni tried to follow her, Karan laid a hand on her and said, “Miloni wait!”

She glanced at him doubtfully.

“Don’t mind me but Miloni, you can do better than Tuhin,” his words came out in a rush and he glanced at her with hesitation.

Her eyebrows went a notch higher and she quizzed, “Do better?”

“Yeah, he is not….” his sentence was interrupted by Arko who arrived just then.

“Hey Karan uncle, why don’t you mind your own damn business instead of butting into other peoples’ lives…”

Miloni swung around and found a leather clad Arko behind her. He grinned at her and while Karan flushed, trying to mutter an explanation, Miloni shrugged and wandered towards her friends.

Miloni and Sherry mingled with their friends. Once Arko arrived, the cake was cut and everyone sang, Arko smeared Karan’s face with cream. The band played birthday songs.  Couples began to dance. Sherry went with Eshan on the dance floor and Nithya was guided by her boyfriend. Someone asked Karan to pick his favourite girl for his dance.

Miloni was chatting with one of the boys when Karan approached her. Flushed and breathless, he asked, “Miloni, can I have this dance with you?”

There was loud hooting and Miloni accepted. Karan took her hand and moved to the centre of the dancing floor. The band began to play a popular number and Karan followed Miloni’s steps. Miloni liked dancing and enjoyed the peppy song. Many others followed suit, making it more fun.

The boys were getting boisterous and Sherry and Miloni decided to leave. Nithya and her boyfriend dropped them home. Just before falling asleep, Miloni checked her phone and saw many missed calls from Tuhin. Her last thought was why Bani had not come with Arko for the party.

                                                                                    ************

 The party continued and the boys turned wild, dancing and snorting. Arko watched them getting drunk but he did not drink much. Nor did he snort the stuff that they were doing. A drunk Karan was continuously rambling about Miloni.

“I jussst don’t understand how Mil has not recognized my love for her. I have been crushing on her for almost five years and she still does not give a damn dude! This is so bad,” Karan whined, holding a shot glass.

“Dude, just tell her. Then she will notice you,” another drunk friend advised

“Miloni is cruel. She gives a damn about her followers,” someone else added

“Hey mind your tongue!” Arko warned.

“Don’t tell me you too have a crush on her Arko! She wouldn’t dismiss you like she does others,” a miffed Karan responded.

“Oh, Shut up Karan! You are drunk. Let us get you home,” Arko suggested

“No, I want to tell Miloni that I am the one for her,” Karan chimed

Others laughed and one of the gang of boys insinuated, “Right now, she has got eyes only for Tuhin.”

“I hate the b……” Karan mumbled, slipping on the couch drunkenly.

Arko tossed the wad of notes at the counter and brought the car around to the front while others carried Karan to the car. They scrambled inside after casting Karan to the corner seat. Arko dropped him first. He carried him quietly to Karan’s room and asked the housekeeper to take care of him.

The rest of the boys made fun of Karan’s drunken stupor as Arko drove them back home.

“How he was drooling over Miloni! Even before he smoked a bowl. Seriously, he has lost his mind man.”

“She knocked him off his feet.”

“Agree, I would not have minded a few minutes with her,” Muneer winked and voiced his thoughts aloud. He was always ready with gross suggestions.

The car jerked to an abrupt halt, thrusting the boys forward. A strong fist rammed into Munner’s jaw and he yelped with pain, “What the …. Arko!”

“Next time, think before opening your tasteless mouth,” Arko warned, his eyes narrowed and jaw clenched.

Munner rubbed his jaw with his palm, his calculating eyes regarding Arko thoughtfully. Others kept quiet as Arko dropped each one of them home.

Parking his car, he moved stealthily in his house, not wanting to wake his family. Stumbling on his bed, he kicked off his shoes and jacket. Taking his phone out, he perused the pictures he had clicked quietly at the party. Most of the photos were of one person and with a wistful sigh, he gazed at the pictures.

                                                                                 ************

There was a lot of excitement among the girls because Eshan had asked Sherry officially to be his date for the Farewell event. Typical of her, Sherry pretended to be blasé about it and the other three girls teased her. Ajitha and Miloni had not found a partner whereas Nithya had decided to go with her boyfriend.

“It is still two months away and we have an exam before that,” Sherry dismissed their teasing.

“Yes ma’am! As you say…” Miloni responded and others giggled.

Ajitha was curious about the party and she enquired with interest.

“Oh, Karan had eyes only for our Mili. He kept chasing her, even asking her for the first dance.”

“Oh! I wonder how Tuhin would react to that.”

“He wouldn’t care,” Miloni replied, however Tuhin who had moved silently towards them spoke, startling the girls.

“No, I care a lot. If I had been there, I would have made a mincemeat out of him,” Tuhin’s voice was warm but his gaze held Miloni’s with an intentness that flummoxed her. His attractive face was serious and his eyes never left Miloni’s face.

For the first time in her life, Miloni was left speechless by such a declaration. Her face turned hot and she looked away, breaking their eye lock.

“Miloni, come with me after class. I want to show you something…” when Miloni did not answer, he said, “Please Miloni…”

She glanced at him and something in his eyes touched her. She nodded, not aware that many eyes were watching them in the class room.

The lecture began and Tuhin moved back to his seat.

“Whew! That was quite serious,” Ajitha exclaimed

“He is totally into you Mili. Give the poor guy a chance.”

Miloni was not listening to them, nor was she thinking about Tuhin. While Tuhin was talking to her, her glance had slid beyond him and she had seen Arko and Bani staring at them openly. Bani had been clutching Arko’s arm but it was Arko’s narrow eyed stare that had caught Miloni’s attention. He had seemed angry with Tuhin and Miloni believed that Arko was irked that Tuhin had made a suggestive comment about Bani in the locker room. That was what the gossip mills had informed her.

                                                                                    ***********

Tuhin was waiting for Miloni after class, and together, they walked back home. It was a long walk but she enjoyed because Tuhin entertained her with anecdotes from his previous school. Also, when he met her, he handed her a bar of her favourite chocolate. When she asked him how he knew about her likes and dislikes, he answered evasively that he had learnt from her social media. Miloni did not remember posting any such thing but she shrugged it off assuming that he would have found out from her friends.

When they turned towards the lane where her house was, Tuhin paused and grasped her arm, “Miloni…”

She looked at him questioningly.

“Arko and I did not fight about Bani that day. He reacted violently when I asked him if he was bothered that I was going out with you.”

Miloni’s eyes widened and he nodded vehemently, “I have no interest in Bani. I like you too much to even look at other girls.”

His words caught her breath and she gaped at him. He quickly dropped a kiss on her lips and swung around. Striding away from her swiftly, he turned back once to wave at her.

                                                                                   ************