It was at the Mix. Starting 8 pm, Rs. 350 for stag and 500 for couples. He didn't mind the difference. It would be worth it. He got in with a bunch of his friends, and danced on the floor for a while. Then he plopped down onto one of the couches lined along Mix's walls, tired. That's when he got a call from Manasa. He hurried to a more tranquil spot so she wouldn't hear the ambient noise and figure out where he was.
'Hey love. What you doing?' he asked, trying not to sound out of breath.
'Hey. Was just thinking of you, so I thought I'd call. What you up to?' she asked sweetly.
'Me? I'm just, well. I'm with family, some wedding we were supposed to attend. Dad's friend's son and all that. Really quite boring. I missed you!' he cried.
'Really?' she cooed appropriately. 'And you know, coincidentally, even I'm at a wedding with family! How cool is that? You and I are totally meant to be!' she shouted happily. Gods be pardoned if she even remotely knew what meaning to be meant.
'Can't wait to see you tomorrow Manasa. Love you! Anyways, parents are calling me, got to go! See ya!'
'Love you too. Bye!' she hung up.
He went back to the couch and sat a while, talking to his friends.
'So how're things with you and Manasa man?' his friend Sharat asked him.
'It's great man. It's fun to spend time with her, and we both get to do our own things in our time.' Gagan replied.
'How come she's not here today? You should have called her!'
'We've never really discussed this, but I've heard from others that she's not really into partying and all. So, you know. She'd just called; I had to say I was at a wedding. Don't think she'd appreciate knowing the truth.'
'Oh okay. To each their own right? As long as its all good.'
'Yeah man, it's all great. We have our good days and our bad days. Day before was hell. Had to go shopping with her. You know how it is..' Sharat gave him an understanding grin.
'I mean she wanted an opinion from me about every one of the infinite things she was trying, eventually buying a handful! Just wouldn't let me concentrate on the things I wanted to buy for myself. I mean, you're going to wear them, you buy them, why ask me??'
'I totally get you man. Lets go get those martinis man!'
They went to the bar, when Gagan heard a familiar voice call for a couple of vodka shots. He whirled around and saw, Manasa. He stared at her for a full ten seconds, shell shocked. Everything he had heard about her was false, she was false, they were false.
She looked back at him, shifting a little uncomfortably. It was probably around that moment that it struck her that he too had lied about his whereabouts and her posture resumed a modicum of strength and she stood tall and matched his stare. Neither said a word, waiting for the other to speak. The atmosphere and the people in the place seemed unaffected, hurrying along in its usual incoherent frenzy, like a spectator who couldn't care lesser about the drama unfolding in front of him.
Finally Gagan felt like he should say something, and he did.
'What are you having? Romanov or Fuel?'
She did a double-take, and answered after a second. 'Fuel, of course. At least there's some flavor.'
'So, this whole thing. We're good right?' he asked evenly.
She eyed him and then said, 'Yeah sure, we're good.'
'Cool.' And he walked past her, back to his friends, with the martinis and drank them. After an hour later, he went home. The next day, to college...and everything was just as it always had been. He met her for lunch, and they went home together, as they always did.
In case the reader is wondering; come on, it was a lie, okay, so what? That didn't change things right?
Since when was trust an important part of any relationship?..
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