-FOUR-
1558 Words
“Are you serious? The biker is Tuhin?” Sherry asked in surprise.
“Yep, Oh I am so excited,” Miloni gushed
“But I have never seen him on a bike. He rides a bicycle around the colony sometimes,” Nithya pondered aloud as she and Tuhin lived in the same colony.
“Anyway, I will find out soon. You tell me Nithya, how was your date with that mad artist?”
“Oh, he is so cute!” Nithya’s overwhelming enthusiasm amused her three friends.
“Did he make a move?” Ajitha asked curiously.
Nithya blushed and the girls hooted loudly, inviting looks from others in the canteen.
“keep you your voice down girls,” Nithya chided, her dreamy demeanour fading at the loud buzz that her friends created.
The four girls were unaware of someone listening to them with keen interest, his eyes glued on Miloni.
“Are you meeting Tuhin today?”
“Yep! We are going to the Bindra Park,” Miloni answered, planning on quizzing Tuhin about his role as biker.
“That park near the quarry?” Sherry asked with a frown.
“Yes! Why?”
“It is quite lonely out there. Why is he taking you there?”
“Where else would he take her Sherry? This is not a big city. It is a small town and everyone knows everyone here. I think he wants to avoid the familiar crowd,” Ajitha, the quietest one of them advised.
“Anyway, be careful!”
“She has her biker hero with her, why worry?” Nithya added as a joke.
*************
The only pub in the town was filling up quickly on the Friday evening. The boys were making lot of noise and enjoying the beer and music. Arko was the only who did not mingle much and looked grumpy on that evening. He did not enjoy his beer and while his friends danced and played in the gaming area, he sat alone, nursing his drink. There were many calls from his father, Bani and an ex-girlfriend but he did not answer any of the calls. Arko may be a hot mess but he was the kind of guy who did not make enemies. He was friends with even those boys with whom he had competed in sports and who had been his bitter rivals. The girls with whom he had broken up maintained a good relationship with him. Even after months of break-up, they wished him on his birthdays and messaged him often. He was quintessentially a charmer. The girls loved to cheer for him during inter-house matches, the artists loved to paint his chiselled face, and the faculty forgave him easily when he got into trouble.
His phone burred again, and since it was his father’s third call, he answered,” Dad!”
“Where are the hell are you?”
“Why? What is the urgency?”
“It is your mother. She fell down in the kitchen. We are taking her to the doctor. Come home soon.”
“Oh, I will be there as soon as possible.” He tossed some money on the table and grabbing his belongings, he left the pub without informing anyone. Reversing the sports car out of the parking, he called a cab rental to pick up his friends from the location.
Arriving home, he was met by the house keeper, “your mother got injured and they have taken her to the hospital.”
“Yeah, I know. Dad called…”
“Do you want something to eat? I am retiring to my quarters. There are some cold sandwiches in the fridge if you are hungry,” the elderly woman informed and Arko nodded at her, flopping on the sofa and switching on the television. His mind was not on the monitor but on the piece of information that the canteen boy gave him. And since then, his mood had slipped from bad to worse. He studied her pictures on the social site where he was friends with her. He viewed the tagged picture. They were in a café and the caption was, “Nothing can beat the moment!”
Angry and irate, he threw the phone on the centre table. Restless, and wanting to spend his energy. he opened his laptop and began to work on the project he had started. Calling the project, A18k he spent the night working on his pet assignment. It was his dream project and once he finished with the designs and workings, he would show it to his father. Till then, he worked on it alone. His elder sister who was studying in Milan, encouraged him to continue with the project. If he finished it in the next couple of months, he could even show it to his sister Riya, when she would be here for her wedding. She was engaged to her childhood sweetheart and once she finished her studies in Milan, she would be getting married.
*****************
The setting sun lit the deserted park in orange glow and Tuhin and Miloni were the few ones who wandered in the large park. The park bordered the lime quarry and the large area that was once abandoned was developed into a conservation park where water fountains, artificial landscapes, grand canopies, an atrium and an Athena rendered it an ideal place for a leisurely evening. Art festivals, summer carnivals and cultural nights took place in the park regularly
Miloni and Tuhin strolled casually, holding each other’s hands. Tuhin wanted to hold her closer but he was scared of upsetting Miloni. It had taken him eight months to approach her and he would be a fool if he unbalanced the tentative equation they had just formed.
“So, what do you plan to do after school Tuhin?”
“I want to be an aeronautic engineer but before I get there, I have to pass the exams,” Tuhin replied with a sigh. He was studying hard for the entrance exams and once he got an admission, it would secure his future.
“Of course, you will pass. You are very smart.”
“You think?” he asked teasingly
“Yep! Do you know they call you ‘the nerd’ in school?”
“I know. Actually, I am no nerd just a regular guy,” Tuhin murmured, admiring her creamy skin and lovely eyes,
“Haha… you are definitely not a regular guy,” Miloni teased, bending to pluck a pretty flower from a plant. Before she could do it, Tuhin plucked it and offered it to her on one knee.
Miloni chuckled at his theatrics and inhaled the exotic fragrance of the flower, enjoying the warm evening with Tuhin.
“You are lovely,” Tuhin’s voice sounded rough and caressing her chin, he placed his lips on hers gently. Miloni slid her arms around his neck and kissed him back. Deepening the kiss, Tuhin groaned, “Miloni, I love you…”
Shocked, Miloni pulled away and glared at him, “Isn’t it too soon to confess that?”
Tuhin stepped away from her, his heated face turning red, “I am not going to apologise for blurting that out Miloni. I have been in love with you since I joined school. I was hoping that you would reciprocate but I know that you don’t feel such thing for me.”
“No, I don’t!” Miloni agreed
Although he was aware of it, to hear her say it so bluntly hurt him but he was prepared to woo her and wait for her.
“I know but there is no harm in giving a chance to a guy,” his appeal sounded very sweet to Miloni. She has dated many guys but most of them had been too vain about their charm where as Tuhin was different. There was a quiet confidence to him and she liked it. He didn’t come across as high-handed. He was gentle, intelligent and fun. Also, if he was the biker that Miloni was searching for, then he was the guy for her. With that thought in her mind, she remarked, “I suppose! And if the guy turns out to be a jerk, I will dump him.”
Her remark enticed a wide grin from Tuhin.
“You won’t regret it ma’am,” he replied with a twinkle in his eyes.
“So, what do you do in the mornings?”
“Mornings?” Tuhin asked with a flare of suspicion in his eyes.
“I mean, do you work out or play or go for a jog in the mornings?” she asked hoping to find something about his biking.
“I study very late so I wake up late. All my work outs happen in the afternoons,” he revealed not aware that his answer disappointed Miloni.
Just then, they saw a group of boys heading towards the quarry, laughing and jeering.
“Come on Miloni, time to head back home,” Tuhin suggested and they sauntered towards the exit.
Just then, they heard a loud noise akin to thunder. They stopped, Miloni asked in shock, “What is that sound?”
“I think it is coming from the quarry,” Tuhin said, taking a look around the park.
“There is no sound from the boys also. Weird!”
Tuhin did not reply because he was keener in taking Miloni away from the park.
*********
- Writer
