Mumbai May 17th 2009

Anushua took a few seconds to figure out what was happening. Kabir stood outside her door with the most awkward smile he could muster and she stood wearing the most shabby pyjama she had.

he: hey hi

she:ohhh hiii...damnn you surprised me

he:*smiles* and you damn me for it

she:oh naye naye i just..you know..umm..come in

he:i was thinking ,if we could go our for a drive, i am yet to smoke ,remeber i told you this two hours back

she: *smiles* cool..come and sit, i will be ready in a while

Kabir walked into dimly lit room,.with a bright orange and yellow cloth lampshade, a bed with the worlds most colorful bedsheet he had ever seen (its so feminine) thats what he said, as he decided to sit either on the bed or the pink bean bag..he chose the later. He looked around the room,neatly kept with a small stack of books on a bamboo shelf,pink and blue net curtains,a footrug at the bedfront saying "wake up sunshine: in yellow and red. Not far away was Waio,which was playing some kind of piano music(so unlike her) he thought. a tiny TV on a wooden trunk sat in one corner,switched off and covered with white lace. Adjoining the drawing room was the kitchen,which he could make out from the beaded purple curtains also housed her cupboard,painted in white and with lots of graphiti on it. He glued his eyes to the Red Bull fridge in the kitchen with the glass door and blue neon lights inside,which glowed as she bent and opened it to take out soemthing..a can of coke. Adjoining the kitchen was the door to the loo perhaps which eh heard slam open and close as she ran in to change.

Anushua was having trouble inside,her heart was beating too loud and her smile was giving away all the excitement which she dint want to flaunt to Kabir the first time itself. She picked up the mid rib jeans(no low waist with this guy at least) and a decent black top,with a decent neckline.she looked at herself in the mirror and said "decent" dabbed a little lip gloss(umm the mango one would smell nice) a little kajal and brushed her hair. Sprayed some davidoff on her top and also the hair.

She took a can of coke and walked out of the kitchen to where he was sitting(mentally made a note to pull his leg on the pink bean bag) and took the house keys

he:ready? so fast

she: i took 13 minutes exactly, and you say thats fast..must say your patience level impresses me

he:reaally?i thought i am the one who has little patience considering i called you..

she:*smiles* chalo lets go

As they walked down the stairs to the parking,she kept saying to herself *this is too good to be true this is too good to be true*

He thought *hmmm where do i drive her now? i have to stop at teh ATM,was there an HDFC ATM on the way here*?

she: so where are we going?

he:ummm..actually to an ATM..*fuck absolutely the wrng thing to say to a girl*

she:ohhkkk ..there is no HDFC ATM here

he:There is one next to my building (smiles)

she: we are going to Vashi (smiles)

As she sat in the car she smiled*i am in the aquafina guys car..omg this is crazy*

As the dawn set in,the car drove down the empty roads of new mumbai,and the Dure Straits sang "Romeo and Juliet"

she: uhh which song is this

he: you got to be kidding em??you dont know this one

she:nayeee so what..do you know The Corrs or Shania Twain or..

He: yeah i have heard of some, by the way if you have not heard the Dire Straits then great is hall educate you on music.

She:hmmm..i will educate you on...on..we'll see

As he parked his car in front of the ATM she looked at herself in the mirror,her kajal had not smudged yet,she took out the gloss and dabbed it quickly before he saw her doin it.

He came out of the ATM and she peeped at him,between the strands of her hair*ohh shit his smile is soo cute*

He: hey you wanna go out for coffee?? there is this tapri( a road side tea shop in Mumbai is called Tapri) which opens at 7 ,another 2 hours ..till then we can..umm...you can come home if you are ok

Now this was a super tricky question sayinga yes would mean "easily available" saying a no would eman waiting another weak for this opportunity on next weekend

she:sure..chalo *smiles and crosses her fingers*

As she got inside the lift with Kabir next to her,the closeness struck her with such an enormity that she wanted to run out and go home to her cup of maggi. But here was a bigger force pulling her, she was scared,she knew where this was heading,it looked familiar. The last time she was in love,she was too busy hearing the sound o her heart breaking to know which month of the year it was. She dint want it to happen this time and anywyas Kabir was too good to eb true..there had to be a star amrk somewhere with tiny footnote saying"engaged,gay,just friends"

he: my house aint as clean as yours okie..so dont kind*damn what a lame thing to tell a girl*

As she walked in the house teh first thing she saw was

A hugeeee TV on a three legged table(oiginaly meant to have 4 legs)

a huge shoe stand

a mirror

a bamboo stool

a photo frame

As kabir ran around the house, he switched on the AC in the other room*her alarm bells rang once* her eyes darted towards the bedroom,which had one floor bed,with a clean bedsheet and two pillows...they were maroon*hehehe maroon bedsheets in the AVP's bed*

As she sat on the bed on the floor,with her back resting on the wall,he sat opposite on the bamboo stool with his legs stretched out*clean feet* she thought

He: so dont you miss your parents

As she went on telling him about her house,her parents,her wish of having a black Labrador,her friends and how she was a president level guide and knew how to knot in 12 different styles, he was mazed by her. He could not fathom which was the girl he liked this scatter brain who kept talking and ensured his smile stayed on his face,or the girl who kept her eyes on him and eyes him as though she would devour him(he liked the sound of the latter though)

And she stopped talking, as he bent down and held her face in his palm and kissed her gently. She closed her eyes and without letting her mind stop her she felt his lips on hers. As his hand gripped hers tightly she felt his fingers running through her hair. He was taken aback by the subtle and wild outburst of emotions he had but all that he felt was her bitting on his lips..she stumbled and lied on the bed as he felt her shaking body under him.

How Aquafina Guy spoke to the Bong Chic

if you are visiting my blog for the first time ,please read aquafina guy first,bong chic second,and then this part to enjoy"

Anushua was sitting in front of the tv at home,watching something about Paris Hiltons latest video on CNN..she wondered how could such stuff be even publicised when its so clearly a manipulated video of some look alike porn star(no she dint mean that paris is a porn star)

"come my lady come come my lady,you're my butterfly sugah baby" her phone rang and she looked whos calling at 9 in the morning..the name flashed "aquafina guy" she looked at the mobile for half a second if it was true..aquafina guy was calling on her number..she had got his cell number from the intranet but how did he..hers was not listed yet..and suddenly it stopped ringing..missed call?

she went to her call register and checked if it was,what it was..and yes it was his number in her log of calls..aquafina guy.9820391787!!!!

how??and why only a missed call??

she pinched herself,to see if it was real..how the fuck did he get her number??which means he was equally interested now:) :)

she waited for the phone to ring again..it did ,but it was her mom checking if she had got back home and if she was sleeping..her first job being a mortgage officer in the US market,meant night shifts,which she hated,till the day she saw him..and since then office was the best part and the canteen was even more important.

as she thought of all this she dozed off with the TV on and when she woke it was 3 in the noon.she checked her phone for the nth time to check if kabir had called..he hadnt..somehow,refering to him as kabir sounded funny..he was laways refered to as the aquafina guy ,but now since he had made a move,he should be known by his name.Somehow she found all these north indian names very cliched,rahul,kabir,sanjay neha,puja should be banned, and parents should be sued for lack of creativity if they name their children by the above.

It was 6 in the evening and by now she was getting impatient,should she call,maybe he would think she is rude by not calling back,no but she should not,he had just given a missed call,it would look too desperate,ohh damn what if he was married so could not call back cuz his wife was around(anushua had considered this option too,because of which she had not made any move)

Damn it..all the nice men on this earth are taken,married or gay.

She finished her weekly grocery,making sure every 5 minutes her battery was on and had complete network..but no..no call or msg

as she put the eggs in the fridge,she stopped,took her phone and stood near the window.

she looked into the phone.."dialing aquafina guy"

it rang around 5 times before it was answered, "hello" and her heart skipped a beat.that precise moment she regreted making the call,for fear of loosing her speech.

he:helloooo

she: hi..uummm i got a missed call in the morning from this number

he:heyii hi..anushua,its me kabir

she:kabir..??(damn i am sure he could hear her ckeeks stretch even as she pretended to play innocent)

he: kabir from office.

she:ohh kabeerrr..the aquafina guy

he:"aquafina guy" nice point of reference

she:yeah..actually i was not so sure of your name..there are two kabir's listed in the intranet,one was kapoor and one was agnihotri, so i wasnt sure which one was you.

he:oh so you had my name,you looked it up in the intranet?

she :(fucckkk) ummm yeah

he:i see..ummm can we talk or you busy

she:(tricky question,needs to be handled with finesse) ohh nahe nahee i just finished cookung ,i can talk

he:you stay alone?

she:yeah..i stay in Vashi ,my parents stay in jamshedpur..where do you stay?

and they spoke for a long time on the phone..long long time,while she ate her maggi,he drove to the ATM withdrew cash packed dinner,she did her dishes while he was on the handsfree,he drove back home and she spoke to him as he opened the lock to his house.She made her bed got inside the blanket,put the phone on charge ,while he kept telling her how sad the noodles was he was eating..and suddenly

he: hey its 3 in the morning..you must be sleepy?i am sorry i kept you up so late

she:its okie,i am glad we finally spoke,beyond the looks we have exchanged, m not sleepy either.

he:i think i will go for a drive to pick up a smoke..i am out of them

she:oh..ok sure

and they spoke as he drove along the empty mumbai streets at 3 in the morning,and she kept telling him how she missed pune..and this weekend she was sulking in mumbai cuz her roomies in pune had exams,so no partying.he was surprised to know she partied,dint look the types,while she exclaimed at knowing he likes listening to rock..he dint seem likes the types to head bang :)

he:heyii which floor do you stay on?

she:second..why?

he:nothing ya..how many roomies do you have?

she:i stay alone..i am pretty tough to put up with..explains why i am the only child..

he: oh..k

suddenly she heard the bell ring..

she:aree itni rata kaun aya?

he:were you expecting someone..be careful when you open the door.

she:ye ya

and she stopped talking as she opened the door,kabir stood outside in his black addidas tracks,a grey t-shirt and the cutest grin on the face,with his tiny canine showing on the left side.

The Bong Chic in Chetans team

For anyone reading this first,please read "the Aquafina Guy" the one next to this post,so you can figure out :)

He walked into the cafeteria with his team member,discussing about the concall with the British client. As the other guy thre numbers at him,He glanced a quick look around the cafeteria floor. She was there.

Sitting on the right hand side corner most table she was in an orange shirt,sleeveless,with her wavy hair flickering over her face. He could not see anything beyond the table so he dint know what was she wearing today..while his colleague continued with the year to date data,his eyes locked on hers. And from the corner of his eyes he saw her bag and he tried his best to contain his smile..it was bright red with huge hearts and some very colourful prints.he had never seen so many colours on one person at a time.but he could not look away from those eyes.

damn,she had beautiful eyes

It was 4 in the morning and as always by 4,her kajal was always smudged and he could always make out the freshly applied lipgloss. She probably knew this and ensured he got a full glare before he walked up the podium to take his coffee from the machine. As he bent down to take the coffee cup he felt her gaze on him..he enjoyed it.

But he also enjoyed when she would walk across the cafeteria floor to get her coffee. She would walk right in front of him,look at him for a few seconds and then get her coffee. Her smile was as infectious and intoxicating as her eyes..she was like a mystery to him,constantly challenging him with those looks and the timid confrontations. He looked as her fingers played with the coffee cup,frequently running her fingers on her collar bone. She had amazing guts and always shocked him,when she would come and stand next to him,while he got his bottle of Aquafina. She would sometimes brush against his jacket as she took her food across the counter. He especially remembered an instance where he could smell the Davidoff on her..at that instant he had such a strong urge to look into her face and grab her...he had paid for the bottle of water and walked back.

it had been going on for a couple of months now,the looks,the gestures,the coincided timings for dinner and coffee breaks. Off late he had been getting some blank calls on his extension and in his mind knew(wanted) it was her. It would take someone lots of guts to call at his extention,but this girl dint lack any. Infact the first time he realsied he was being oogled at ,he was surprised it was a new comer.The girl was from the US Mortgage team ,just joined after her MBA. She was in Chetan's team.He had sourced out this information from the HR head,whom he had coaxed into having coffee,when she was around at the cafeteria. She had a strange name,he had not heard it before..anushua chatterjee..and she was a bong..her eyes were a give away anyway.

Th next day he searched her up on facebook and found two results to "anushua chatterjee" .the display picture,with the lavender shirt and big silver dial watch was hers..23 Female Mumbai Single..the last detail especially made him raise an eyebrow. He wondered at her status ,at the same time was smiling..interesting, this could proceed.

Over the past two weeks he had found out his extention number, email id but the company internet did not have her cellphone number listed yet.there was only one way to get that.

That morning at 6 as he walked down the stairs he saw her sitting on the bench,with her friends. She looked tired,her kajal was smudged but her smile...it had an innocense in it,he had'nt seen in a while. As he walked down,he saw her in her black courdroys and the orange shirt..hmmm orange..juicy..he smiled as he heard his thought in his mind . but his motives were different..

She walked across to the parking lot and went to speak to Shantanu,the HR guy, who was more than happy to speak to her. She finished speaking to him and turned to walk back,and at that instant looked at him again.

Getting that look,he knew he wanted to speak to her more than ever,so he walked over to Shantanu ,knowing this was the only way and planned on going to the nearby restraunt for early morning breakfast.Shantanu gladly agreed and they drove down to the restaurant.

While Shantanu drove,he kept wondering how to get anushua's number? and then suddenly he knew the way. He looked at Shantanu's cellphone on the dashboard of the car..picked it up and turned around to see the make of it..Nokia.."hey nice phone Shantanu"

As Shantanu turned and parked inside the hotel,he browsed through the phonebook..there was only one Anushua stored in it. he memorised it and while walking into the hotel he punched it on his cell phone.

While Shanatnu spoke about the new team in the Mortgage department, he pulled out his cellphone and gave a missed call to her number..Nelly Furtado sang "promiscuous girl" as he cut the call on the second ring..

And he waited..

The Aquafina Guy

She straightened her hair,brushing away the strand flickering in front of her eyes. She walked in the cafeteria,behind the other members of the team,thinking about the conversation with boss.The jerk wanted her to work on saturday..damn!

She walked across to the food counter,the same food,the same canteen. She ordered her regular thaali and took the plate to sit at the table where the team sat. Over conversations of US economy and Twilight,she heard some , and spoke about some. She sipped on to her ice-tea and looked around.She was waiting...

And then she saw him,this was not the first time though,he always came in at the same time,walking in through the canteen door,talking over his phone or with some colleague or sometimes even alone.He took his plate of food and went over at the table on the other end.As he crossed his legs,put the cell phone across and bent down to take a spoonful of rice,his eyes gazed at her. For a few seconds they looked at each other,neither removing their gaze.She could sense her cheeks turning crimson and looked down. But hell no! she was not the types to be shy. She picked her plate and went to dump it into the used dish counter. She walked across,this time she looked at him again,he was looking at her. For the 12 seconds that took her to walk across the floor,her gaze remained on him,fixed, as he ate his food and kept looking at her.

She dint understand him at all..this had been going on for a month,everyday and every time they crossed paths in the office.She knew he would look at her with those eyes and then look down,not paying attention to her anymore. But for the few seconds that their gaze would meet,she could feel her heart beat faster,her ears dint take in anything around her if he was around,she did not know where this was heading.She would run her hands through her hair before entering the canteen,she would dab some lipgloss before dinnertime and walk a with a slightly animated sway. She looked forward to the lunch breaks now. she would step out early to see him leave from office as he drove out. She would walk in early,to stand on the terrace sipping coffee and waiting for him to come to work.

There were days that he dint turn up and those days were spent waiting for the office to get over,waiting for the next day so he would come to work.

She dint have any idea where this was heading,she dint know anything about him except

he had the most intoxicating eyes ever

she loved his shirts with stripped bodies and white collars

he was one of the few to wear cufflinks

he drove a sedan

he drank coffee everyday at 4

he was the AVP

and he had a tiny canine teeth which peeped every time he smiled

he drank water from an aquafina bottle he took from the canteen on all days

So what else could she need to realise she had to speak to him..there had to be a way. mailing would not be great since he was the AVP ,she could not call him cuz maybe he was married. perhaps time should sort it out..but those eyes ..

just when she was in the middle of this conversation with herslef,he walked in .It was 4 ,

coffee break