This is set after Ranbir realises his heart beats irrationally near Prachi and he has his conversation with his father.
-----++DHADKAN++----
I sighed as I looked at my reflection in the mirror for the hundredth time.
"Face looks handsome like always, eyes MashAllah look gorgeous, temperature is normal, strength aisi hai ki I can beat up 15 like those goons who were after Prachi that night, then why the hell was my heart beating so hard?"
Remnants of the conversation with my father crept in my brain.
"Koi Sundar si ladki guzri hogi paas se, isliye tera dil dhadak raha hai zor zor se"
I bit my lip to control the laugher that was threatening to escape my throat. Prachi aur Sundar? Lol, never. She..........she has a very irritating face. She isn't pretty at all. Not at all.
My intellectual conversation with myself was broken by the ring of my mobile phone. Rhea was calling. Smiling, I picked it up.
"Hey Rhea!"
"How is the challenge going?"
The smile dropped from my face. Rhea is so obsessed with this challenge of hers, it's the only thing she talks about whenever we catch up. It's either how much she hates Prachi or my progress in making her fall for me. Apart from these two topics, she literally talks about nothing else. How is it that I even fell for her? We literally never talk.
"I asked her out today. She refused flatly. I think she is playing hard to get." I fibbed. I cringed as I realised that I could hear the uncertainty in my own voice. Rhea would pick it up easily.
I was right.
"Ranbir, are you sure? Because I feel she isn't into you at all. You are failing miserably. Look at you, you are unable to meet with my demands even before we are in a relationship, how will you keep up with me if we ever get together?"
My left eyebrow twitched as I tried calming myself down.
"Rhea, you weren't here to witness what happened. She was actually sweating a little and refusing to make eye contact."
"Then why are you sounding so unsure yourself?"
Dang, she is blunt. I will give her that.
"Because she could be ill. Or, maybe because I am not sure of how long she will keep resisting me. I have limited time, as I promised you." I replied, mentally patting myself on my back for this save.
A small pause from Rhea's side made me feel a bit nervous. Actually, being around Rhea makes me feel nervous too. And somehow, it's not the type of nervousness I have been hoping for. This particular nervousness generally makes me want to run into my Dida's arms while my Mom prepares kheer for me to calm down.
"Well, Ranbir darling, you know the rules. You win, you win my hand. You lose, you lose me. So make it quick. Try to hold her hand or make her fall in your arms or something. Look at her in the eye, I know it must be difficult for you with a face like hers....."
"She has a very nice face!"
I regretted my words as soon as they left my mouth. What. The. Hell. When did I start thinking of Prachi's face being nice? And why did I say this to Rhea? As expected, Rhea's voice was mocking in her reply, "You think Prachi is pretty?"
"I......I think she has a nice face. That is, I mean, she has a calm and soothing face. A pleasant face, you know? Meaning, some women have a strikingly beautiful face like Aishwarya Rai, where you are unable to remove your eyes from their faces but Prachi has a very comforting face. It's simple, natural and generally always calm and composed. So I don't feel weird or distracted when I look at her, I am able to actually look at her and talk to her, which is nice."
Another pause. I shifted my feet nervously.
"So you mean to say that you feel relaxed by looking at Prachi and you can look at her all day long?"
"No, I don't mean that. I just think......damn it Rhea, why are we talking about Prachi's face? Let's talk about something else. How was your day?"
"It was fine. Not as fine as Prachi's face though."
I sighed audibly. I was trapped, I knew. I did the only form of damage control I knew- run away.
"Rhea, Dad is calling me for a meeting. I will talk to you at home, see you!"
A goodbye later, I huffed in relief as I put my phone down. The conversation wasn't a good one. First, it was my heart beating irrationally fast around Prachi and now me finding her face nice. What is happening?
Suddenly, as if on cue, my heart started beating faster. I was starting to jump in joy as I thought that this meant that it had nothing to do with Prachi until I heard her clear voice behind me.
"Ranbir, I have a few files I want you to read and sign."
Dang. She is here? I turned around and sure enough, Prachi Arora, Head Lecturer at Ranbir's School of Silly Actions, was standing with some very ugly and thick files in her hands. She reached out to hand me the crap.
On an impulse, I stroked her palm as I collected the files from her. She looked up at me in questioning alarm while I started freaking out as my heartbeat was now as fast as I run away when I know Dad is out to scold me.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
I winced at her tone. She was justifiably angry and I tried pacifying her.
"It happened by accident. You think I want to touch you willingly?" I scoffed as I mentally slapped myself for thinking of how beautifully her lips were shaped.
"I don't trust you."
A sudden cloud of hurt and disappointment surrounded me. Of course I know she doesn't trust me, she says that daily and freely. But some how, I just felt it today.
I think Prachi saw my countenance for she immediately clarified, "I mean, I don't trust you around women. You.....don't forget you are a big flirt who says I love you randomly. In fact, you have said I love you to me twice. You want me to take you seriously?"
I smiled crookedly as she huffed and stalked off, leaving behind her the distinct fragrance of lavender, a scent I had started associating with her. My heart was still beating erratically.
I placed a hand on my chest and patted it. Ye dhadkan bhi na, Pagal kardegi. Pakka marwaayegi ek din.
----END----
Writer: Aynat
